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The Chinese language tennis star who sparked international concern when she appeared to all of the sudden go lacking after accusing a authorities official of sexual assault has appeared in an internet video denying she ever made the declare.
Final month, Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier in China, of assaulting her previously – earlier than disappearing from public view for almost three weeks.
She has now mentioned that she by no means truly accused anybody of assaulting her, claiming {that a} publish she made on social media in November has been misunderstood.
In a video posted by Singapore media outlet Lianhe Zaobao on Sunday, she mentioned: “First, I must stress one level that’s extraordinarily necessary, I’ve by no means mentioned or written that anybody has sexually assaulted me, I’ve to obviously stress this level.”
Her feedback from a snowboarding occasion in Shanghai are the primary time she has addressed the alleged incident publicly on digital camera.
She added that the feedback in query – which have been posted to Weibo, earlier than shortly being deleted – have been a “non-public matter” and that “folks have many misunderstandings” about it.
Peng, who has appeared in photographs since her disappearance, albeit with questions round them, added that she has been dwelling at her dwelling in Beijing with none supervision.
The 35-year-old additionally mentioned that she had written to the pinnacle of the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation, Steve Simon, final month, denying the assault allegations.
Mr Simon mentioned he had a “exhausting time believing” that Peng had truly written the e-mail, or its contents.
The WTA has suspended tournaments in China because of the questions surrounding Peng and her disappearance.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has additionally held two video calls with the tennis participant.
The case comes forward of subsequent 12 months’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, which has already seen a lot of nations, together with the UK, pledge diplomatic boycotts.
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