Video claims to show Peng Shuai at tournament

Video claims to show Peng Shuai at tournament
Peng Shuai. Source: AP
2 Min Read

Daily US Times: Chinese state media showed footage where tennis player Peng Shuai has reportedly appeared as a guest at a tennis tournament in Beijing.

State-affiliated media posted a clip said to be of Peng on Twitter, the latest to appear to show her.

Tennis officials, players and governments have voiced concerns about her wellbeing.

Two weeks ago, the Chinese tennis star made sexual assault allegations against a former China vice-premier.

She has not been in direct contact with the Women’s Tennis Association since then.

A footage published on Sunday by the editor of the Global Times – a Chinese state-affiliated media organisation – said Ms Peng was “at the opening ceremony of a teenager tennis match final”, reported to be the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals.

It is the third clip published on the Global Times Twitter account, with the previous two purportedly showing Peng having dinner with her coach and friends in a restaurant.

The event organisers also published photos of the player on the event’s official WeChat page, Reuters news agency reports.

A WTA spokesperson however told Reuters the latest videos were “insufficient” evidence of her safety and don’t address its concerns about her.

It comes after WTA chief Steve Simon said on Saturday that it was not clear from the two earlier clips if the player “is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference”.

WTA has threatened to pull tournaments out of China without proof she is safe.

Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office meanwhile issued a statement saying it was “extremely concerned” about Peng and called on China to “urgently provide verifiable evidence of her safety and whereabouts”.

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