Peng Shuai, Who Accused a Former Chinese Premier of Abuse, Disappears; Video Posted Later Is Believed to Be Staged

Later, a video featuring her was published there, but it is considered staged.

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is concerned about the fate of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who has not been seen since early November, when she accused former Chinese Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual harassment, BBC Sport reports.

Accusations Against a Close Ally of "Big Xi"

The 35-year-old Peng Shuai was the world's No. 1 women's doubles player in 2014. She has won two Grand Slam tournaments (Wimbledon 2013 and Roland Garros 2014) partnering Taiwanese tennis player Hsieh Su-wei.

In early November, in a post on the Chinese social network Weibo, she said she had been forced into sex with Zhang Gaoli, who served as Chinese premier from 2013 to 2018. Gaoli is a close ally of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and a senior Party official.

This is the first such accusation against an official of such high rank in China. Moreover, it came just months before China hosts the Winter Olympic Games.

The post was quickly deleted, but a huge number of users managed to read it.

Since then, nothing has been known about the tennis player. The WTA and many tennis players have repeatedly expressed concern about Shuai's fate.

In particular, Naomi Osaka called on tennis officials to clarify the situation. Earlier this week, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic said he was shocked by what is happening.

Steve Simon insists that the sexual harassment allegations made by Peng Shuai be investigated with maximum transparency and without censorship.

Critics of the authorities in China have disappeared before, but this usually involved businesspeople. The Peng Shuai case is the first involving an athlete.

A Strange Letter

On the eve, the Chinese state broadcaster CGTN showed an email allegedly written by Shuai herself, in which she retracts her accusations and states that she is completely safe.

"I'm just resting at home, everything is fine," the allegedly named athlete explains her long absence.

According to Chinese television, the letter is addressed to WTA chairman Steve Simon, but it begins with the words "Hi everyone, this is Peng Shuai." It is impossible to verify the authenticity of the sender's email, and moreover, the style of the letter has raised even greater concern.

In addition, the screenshot of the letter shown by CGTN clearly shows a cursor appearing as text is typed.

"It is hard for me to believe that Peng Shuai wrote this message herself. Its content does not fit with her beliefs," said a statement from Steve Simon. "The WTA and the rest of the world need independent confirmation that she is safe."

According to people who know Peng Shuai fairly well, the style of the text does not match her way of speaking.

In addition, no other Chinese media outlet has published this letter so far.

Strange Videos and Photos of Peng

Today, November 21, the story took yet another ambiguous turn. Global News, a media company linked to the Chinese government, published a video featuring the missing Shuai.

According to a Global News editor, the video was filmed before the final match of the Fila Kids Junior Tennis tournament in Beijing this Sunday. However, the video cannot be verified.

In the video, Peng Shuai, dressed in a tracksuit, stands among honored guests while their names are announced off-camera. In the background, part of the tournament logo is visible, along with several people blocking the exit from the sports arena.

Many social media users believe the video looks staged. In particular, the introduction of the distinguished guests is accompanied by very quiet applause, which is highly unusual for China.

This is already the third video featuring Peng Shuai that Global News has posted on Twitter over the past few days. In the first two, she is having lunch at a restaurant with her coach and friends. 

Later, a separate post included three photos of Peng on her WeChat account under her name, captioned "Happy Weekend."

However, the authenticity of the message on the Chinese instant messaging service was questioned by China media analyst Kerry Allen.

However, according to WTA chairman Steve Simon, it still cannot be determined whether Peng Shuai can freely make decisions about her movements and her life.

The WTA, athletes and governments of several countries are sounding the alarm, as Shuai has not been in contact for several weeks. 

International tennis associations are already threatening to cancel all tournaments scheduled for 2022 in China. There has been no official reaction from the International Olympic Committee yet.

US Reaction

The United States says it is "deeply concerned" about Shuai's disappearance.

The White House called on China to "provide independent verifiable evidence" of the tennis player's whereabouts and safety.