Chinese tennis star denies making abuse complaint

The three-time Olympian and high-ranking Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai gave an hourlong interview to French sports newspaper L’Equipe. A Chinese Olympic Committee official monitored pre-submitted questions and sat through the interview, as well. Peng downplayed concerns about her three-week disappearance from the public eye in November just after she made a social media post accusing a former Chinese government official of sexual assault.  Now she says she never made such an accusation.

Is she OK? When asked if authorities retaliated against the post, Peng repeated a party line: sports and politics should not mix. At age 36, she said she is retiring from professional competition, citing COVID-19 and multiple knee injuries. Peng also had dinner with the International Olympics Committee president, who said the organization will keep in touch with her but will not pass judgment on whether an investigation should be opened into her allegations.

Dig deeper: Read Erica Kwong’s report about Peng’s disappearance.