Tennis star Naomi Osaka on Wednesday joined the chorus of voices expressing concern over the disappearance of Chinese player Peng Shuai, who hasn't been heard from shortly after she accused a former high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th November, 2021) Tennis star Naomi Osaka on Wednesday joined the chorus of voices expressing concern over the disappearance of Chinese player Peng Shuai, who hasn't been heard from shortly after she accused a former high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault.
Peng Shuai, 35, a former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion on her Weibo account on November 2 accused retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into having sex. This post was quickly deleted, the athlete's accounts were also removed from the Chinese internet and social networks. After that, the athlete stopped communicating.
"I was recently informed of a fellow tennis player that has gone missing shortly after revealing that she has been sexually abused. Censorship is never ok at any cost, I hope Peng Shuai and her family are safe and ok," Osaka said in a statement shared on Twitter, adding that she was "in shock at the current situation."
Mainland Chinese media outlets have not reported on the matter. China's biggest search engine Baidu does not show any news items in the past week for "Peng Shuai" request.
The Women's Tennis Association on Monday demanded a full and impartial investigation into her allegations of sexual assault by the former vice premier and for assurances that Peng was safe. The Association of Professional Tennis Players and World no.1 Serb Novak Djokovic also backed an investigation.
