Peng Shuai: The video is supposed to show a Chinese tennis player at a tournament
Written byTimes Magazine
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai appears as a guest at a tennis tournament in Beijing. A state media journalist posted a video on Twitter showing 35-year-old Peng smiling as he stood with officials and said it had happened since Sunday morning.
However, international tennis officials say this is not enough to ease their concerns about their health. Peng has not been seen since indicting a senior minister for sexual assault two weeks ago.
Their safety has become an international concern, with celebrity players including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka joining calls from the government asking tennis officials for their safety.
A video released on Sunday by the editor of the Global Times, a media organization affiliated with the Chinese government, said that Peng was "at the opening ceremony of the final of the tennis match for teenagers," allegedly the Fila final. Is a junior child tennis challenger. Reuters reports that event organizers also posted photos of players on the event's official website on WeChat.
This is the third video posted on a journalist's account as Peng's previous two allegedly had dinner with the coach and his friends at a restaurant.
However, a spokeswoman for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) told Reuters the video was "not sufficient" as proof of her safety and did not address concerns about Peng. "Despite a positive view of it, it is not clear whether he is free and capable of making decisions and taking action independently, without coercion or outside interference," said WTA boss Steve Simon.
Chinese state media had previously published an email allegedly written by the tennis star, saying the allegations of the attack were "false" and "everything is fine." However, the WTA and human rights organization Amnesty International has questioned the authenticity of the emails.
The WTA has threatened to withdraw the tournament from China without credible evidence that Peng is safe. The UK Foreign Office issued a statement saying it was "deeply concerned" and asked China to "provide verifiable security and location." The United Nations said it wanted evidence of Peng's whereabouts and urged the need for a "full transparency" investigation.