Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai calls assault allegation an 'enormous misunderstanding'

French newspaper L’Equipe says it spoke to tennis player at a Beijing hotel

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai wrote on social media in November that a former vice premier of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee had forced her to have sex. Reuters

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has reportedly called international concern over her well-being “an enormous misunderstanding” and denied having accused a Chinese official of sexual assault.

French newspaper L’Equipe said it spoke to the tennis player in a Beijing hotel in an hour-long interview organised through China’s Olympic Committee.

It comes on the same day as the International Olympic Committee released a statement saying its President Thomas Bach had dinner with Peng on Saturday and that she attended a curling match between China and Norway with IOC member Kirsty Coventry.

L’Equipe said it had to submit questions to the three-time Olympian in advance and that a Chinese Olympic Committee official sat in on the discussion and translated her comments from Chinese.

The French newspaper published her comments verbatim in question-and-answer form, which was another condition for the interview.

L’Equipe asked Peng about a post in November on her verified account on a leading Chinese social media platform, Weibo, which kicked off a storm of international concern about her.

In that post, Peng wrote that Zhang Gaoli, a former vice-premier and member of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee, had forced her to have sex despite repeated refusals. Her post also said they had sex once seven years ago and she had feelings for him after that.

Peng briefly disappeared from public view, then appeared at some promotional appearances arranged by the government. The interview with L’Equipe was her first sit-down discussion with non-Chinese media since the accusation.

But speaking to L’Equipe, Peng denied having accused Mr Zhang of assault.

“Sexual assault? I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.

“This post resulted in an enormous misunderstanding from the outside world,” she also said. “My wish is that the meaning of this post no longer be skewed.”