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#WhereIsPengShuai: Tennis star now missing after her Me Too accusations against ex-CCP official

WTA Women's Tennis Association Peng Shuai

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    The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has expressed concern about the safety and whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai after she recently accused a former state leader of sexual assault.Ā 

    A star athlete’s claims: Peng, the world’s No. 1 doubles player in 2014, alleged in a Nov. 2 Weibo post that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had forced her into sex after inviting her to dinner with him and his wife three years ago, NextShark previously reported.

    • The 35-year-old athlete said she ended up entering an on-off consensual relationship with the 75-year-old former politician.
    • Zhang, who was also a former member of the highly influential Politburo Standing Committee, allegedly insisted that their affair remain a secret.
    • Peng shared the revelation after Zhang called off a meeting she set with him earlier this month to ā€œdiscuss her grievances.ā€
    • ā€œI know I can’t say it all clearly, and that there’s no use in saying it,ā€ she wrote in the now-deleted post. ā€œBut I still want to say it.ā€
    • While Peng’s accusations immediately became a trending topic on local social media, the discussions about it were blocked on major platforms the next day.

    Sudden disappearance: Peng has not been publicly seen or heard from since making the post, prompting mounting concern from fans and fellow international tennis stars.

    • In a statement issued on Sunday, WTA CEO and Chairman Steve Simon called for transparency as his organization urged the Chinese government to look into Peng’s allegations.
    • Simon told the New York Times that the WTA received ā€œconfirmation from several sources, including the Chinese Tennis Association, that she is safe and not under any physical threat.ā€ HeĀ  pointed out, however, that he has not ā€œbeen able to reach her directly to confirm her status.ā€
    • “Peng Shuai, and all women, deserve to be heard, not censored,” Simon was quoted as saying. “Her accusation about the conduct of a former Chinese leader involving a sexual assault must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
    • Twitter account Free Chinese Feminists has posted photos showing digital projections on buildings and bridges in China that show support for the tennis star.
    • Famous international tennis players have also expressed concern and support for Peng on social media, including the decorated retired player Billie Jean King and men’s world No. 1 ranked player Novak Djokovic, who called her disappearance ā€œshocking.ā€
    • The hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai began circulating Nov. 14 and has been used thousands of times.

    Peng, the first Chinese player to achieve a global top ranking in tennis, has won 23 tour-level doubles titles, one of them being at Wimbledon in 2014.

    Featured Image via Women’s Tennis Association (left), CGTN (right)

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