Peng Shuai Emerges at Olympics, Gives Controlled Interview

That was the message that Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai delivered Monday in a controlled interview in Beijing that touched on sexual assault allegations she made against a former high-ranking member of China’s ruling Communist Party. Her answers – delivered in front of a Chinese Olympic official – left unanswered questions about her well-being and what exactly happened.

The interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe and the announcement that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach met Peng for dinner this weekend appeared seemed aimed at defusing sustained international concerns about the three-time Olympian and former No. 1-ranked tennis doubles player. Those concerns have threatened to overshadow the Winter Olympics underway in Beijing.

Peng told L’Equipe that the concerns were the result of “an enormous misunderstanding.” But the format of the interview appeared to allow for no sustained follow-ups, with questions submitted in advance and a Chinese Olympic committee official sitting in on the discussion, translating Peng’s comments from Chinese.

Large parts of the hour-long interview, conducted Sunday in a Beijing hotel and organized through China’s Olympic committee with the IOC’s help, focused on Peng’s playing career.

The newspaper published her comments verbatim – which it said was another pre-condition for interview – in question-and-answer form. Photos of Peng during the interview showed her wearing a red tracksuit top with “China” in Chinese characters on the front.

L’Equipe asked Peng about sexual assault allegations that sparked the controversy in November. The allegations were quickly scrubbed from her verified account on a leading Chinese social media platform, Weibo. She subsequently dropped out of public view for a while, leading to “where is Peng Shuai?” questions online and from fans outside of China.

In her lengthy post, Peng wrote that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier and member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals. Her post also said they had sex once seven years ago, and that she developed romantic feelings for him after that.

The interview with L’Equipe was her first sit-down discussion with non-Chinese media since the accusation. She walked back the original post.

“Sexual assault? I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.

“This post resulted in an enormous misunderstanding from the outside world,” she also said. “My wish is that the meaning of this post no longer be skewed.”

Asked by L’Equipe why the post disappeared from Peng’s account, she said: “I erased it.”

“Why? Because I wanted to,” she added.

The obvious follow-up question of why she posted in the first place wasn’t asked.

The IOC also worked Monday to defuse the situation. It said Bach dined with Peng on Saturday, a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping opened the Winter Olympics. The IOC said Peng also attended the China-Norway Olympic curling match with IOC member Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe.

Speaking in his daily Olympic press conference, IOC spokesman Mark Adams wouldn’t say whether the IOC believes Peng is speaking freely or is under duress

“We are a sporting organization, and our job is to remain in contact with her and, as we’ve explained in the past, to carry out personal and quiet diplomacy, to keep in touch with her, as we’ve done,” he said. “I don’t think it’s for us to be able to to judge, in one way, just as it’s not for you to judge either.”

He said the IOC cannot pass judgement on whether there should be an investigation of her initial allegations.

“I think we can say that we are doing everything we can to make sure that this situation is as it should be,” he said.

In the interview with L’Equipe, Peng did not reply directly to a question about whether she has been in trouble with Chinese authorities since the post. Instead, she responded with a pat-sounding answer that echoed views often expressed by the Chinese government about sport and politics.

“I was to say first of all that emotions, sport and politics are three clearly separate things,” the newspaper quoted her as saying. “My romantic problems, my private life, should not be mixed with sport and politics.”

Asked what her life has been like since the November posting, she replied: “It is as it should be: Nothing special.”

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