Chinese Peng Shui, whose personal situation has worried people since November, met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Saturday on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympics, confirming in an interview with the newspaper The team that she had, according to her, “never disappeared”.
During the “dinner”, which took place “Saturday, we were able to talk a lot and exchange happily”, the tennis player explains, in the interview published on Monday on the website of the French sports newspaper.
“He asked me if I was thinking of going back to racing, what my plans were, what I was thinking, etc. “, Explains Peng Shuai, who was met by two L’Équipe journalists at a hotel in the Olympic bubble.
Peng Shuai had accused a former Chinese leader in early November of forcing her to have sex during a relationship that lasted several years. Following these remarks made on a social network and quickly deleted from the Chinese internet, Peng Shuai, formerly the No. 1 in the world in doubles, then disappeared, causing concern in the world of tennis and sports, until she spoke through conference call with Thomas Bach on November 21.
Dressed in red and black, Peng Shuai, 36, “appeared in good shape,” according to reporters who conducted the interview, her first since November.
In this interview, he explains that “he had never disappeared”.
“I was always in touch”
“Just a lot of people, like my friends, including from the ILO, were texting me and it was completely impossible for me to respond to so many messages. However, with my close friends, I was always in close contact, I talked to them, I answered their e-mails, I also talked to the WTA… “, he adds.
On Thursday, two days before the meeting between Thomas Bach and Peng Shui, the IOC said it would “support” Peng Shui if it called for an investigation into allegations of forced sex against a former Chinese man. leader.
“If she wants research (for these accusations), of course we will support her, but it must be her decision, it’s her life, these are her accusations. We had the accusations and we also heard the withdrawal of these accusations “, said Thomas Bach during a press conference on the eve of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Games.
Asked about the events that led to this case and the “sexual assault” she suffered, Peng Shuai denies, as she returns in her message posted on a social network, a message that quickly disappeared.
“Sexual assault? “I never said that anyone sexually assaulted me,” he insists.
Why was the complaint deleted?
“Because I wanted to,” he replies.
“Nothing specific”
Asked about her life since November, Peng Shuai explains that “it’s right: nothing special …”
“First of all, I want people to understand who I am: I’m a completely normal girl. “Sometimes I am calm, sometimes I am happy, sometimes I feel sad or I can feel very anxious, under very strong pressure … I experience and feel all the normal emotions and reactions that reside in women,” she said. goes on.
She also takes advantage of this exchange to announce that she is ending her professional career except perhaps “in a group of veterans”, she laughs.
“Tennis changed my life, it brought me joy, challenges and much more. “Even if I no longer participate in professional competitions, I will be a tennis player forever,” he insists.
From the beginning of the case, the player had simply appeared in videos that showed her watching sports events, without allaying fears for her complete freedom of movement.
