Missing Chinese tennis star reappears in public in Beijing

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) — Missing tennis star Peng Shuai reappeared in public Sunday at a youth tournament in Beijing, according to photos released by the organizer, as the ruling Communist Party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault.

The post by the China Open on the Weibo social media service made no mention of Peng’s disappearance or her accusation. The three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion was shown standing beside a court, waving and signing oversize commemorative tennis balls for children.

The ruling party appears to be trying to defuse alarm about Peng without acknowledging her disappearance after she on Nov. 2 accused Zhang Gaoli, a member of the party’s ruling Standing Committee until 2018, of forcing her to have sex.

Peng’s disappearance and official silence in response to appeals for information prompted calls for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February, a prestige event for the Communist Party. The women’s professional tour threatened to pull events out of China unless the safety of the former No. 1 doubles player was assured.



FILE - China's Peng Shuai reacts during her first round singles match against Japan's Nao Hibino at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 21, 2020. The editor of a Communist Party newspaper posted a video online that he said showed missing tennis star Peng Shuai watching a match Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 as the ruling party tried to quell fears abroad while suppressing information in China about Peng after she accused a senior leader of sexual assault. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-entertainment-sports-tennis-china-1085883901ef4bfd237438bf9b280d57

[sarcasmo]

1. Let out of captivity by the Chinese government for a photo op.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. There is doubt the youth tournament is current. There was no real info with the photo. . . . nt

[OnDoutside]

2. How many limbs did she have ?

[TNNurse]

3. I am going to need to see her live and talking to believe

she has not been harmed.

[Justice matters.]

4. WTA's chair Simon should offer to pay for her to fly from Beijing to Miami

for a in-person meeting with him in WTA's Headquarters in Saint Petersburg, then pay for her one-night stay at the hotel and a return flight to Beijing (if that is secured to do...).

Otherwise, if they were to refuse his offer, then he"d tell the CCP the WTA will launch a worldwide movement calling for the boycott of the Winter Olympics and that they can keep the $120 Millions a year China pays for WTA's tennis tournaments in China (and ask the ATP - the men's tournaments - to follow suite).

It shouldn't last too long. It's not like Simon & Co. can't afford it.

[reACTIONary]

7. +100 nt

[cadoman]

5. shout out to the NBA for speaking up for Peng Shuai

Just kidding, that didn't happen.

[rockfordfile]

8. what does that have to do with anything?

[Javaman]

9. I'd like to see a side by side photos of her at the appearance and picts of her when she was playing

she has distinctive freckles on her face.

I want to make sure that she is one and the same.

I trust nothing that china does.