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Chinese language tennis champion Peng Shuai has denied accusing anybody of sexual assault, in an interview revealed Sunday night time with the French sports activities newspaper L’Équipe.
Peng sparked worldwide concern in November final yr after briefly disappearing shortly after she alleged on social media {that a} former Chinese language Communist Occasion senior official, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her up to now. The put up was later deleted.
Talking throughout the Beijing Winter Olympics in an lodge utilized by the Chinese language Olympics Committee, Peng informed the French newspaper: “I by no means stated anybody sexually assaulted me.” Peng additionally informed L’Équipe that she “by no means disappeared” and that she erased her put up as a result of she “needed to.”
L’Équipe stated that questions have been submitted upfront, and the paper agreed to publish Peng’s solutions with out commentary. The interview was carried out in Chinese language and translated into English by a Chinese language Olympic official, in response to L’Équipe.
These remarks echo comparable feedback Peng made in December to Singapore’s outlet Lianhe Zaobao that there have been “misunderstandings” round her put up.
On Saturday, Peng Shuai met with Worldwide Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach over dinner, the IOC stated in a press release. The assertion didn’t discuss with her interview or to the alleged sexual assault, however raised the potential of Peng touring to Europe “when the COVID-19 pandemic is over.”
Requested whether or not Peng was talking freely, the Worldwide Olympic Committee’s spokesperson referred to the IOC as purely a sporting group. “I don’t assume it’s as much as us to have the ability to decide, simply because it’s not so that you can decide, in a method or one other, her place,” he said.
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