Peng Shuai: a tentative end to a bleak tale • China.Table

As if nothing had happened: Peng Shuai is among the spectators at the Olympic figure skating on Monday.

Tennis player Peng Shuai has met IOC President Thomas Bach and gave her first official interview since she publicly accused a high-ranking Chinese cadre of sexual assault. However, the events do not shed light on the matter. Instead of letting her speak freely, the Communist Party controls her every word. Critics believe that she was pressured to retract her allegations.

By
Marcel Grzanna

For the time being, the last chapter in the dark tale of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has been written. Not by her personally, but by Wang Kan, the chief of staff of the Chinese Olympic Committee. Wang had taken on the role of translator when Peng met with journalists from the French sports newspaper L’Équipe at a Beijing hotel on Saturday. It was Peng’s first official interview since she accused Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault.

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