(Beijing) Chinese tennis player Shuai Peng has reappeared in public at a junior tournament in Beijing on Sunday, according to photos released by organizers.
The post of China Open on social media service Weibo made no mention of Peng’s disappearance or sexual harassment allegations against a top Communist Party leader.
Peng shakes hands near a court and signs large-scale youth tennis balls.
This follows an announcement on Saturday by the editor of a party newspaper on Twitter that Peng will soon be seen in public.
This month, Peng accused Zhang Cowley, who was a member of the ruling party’s standing committee until 2018, of forcing her to have sex with him.
The government’s silence in response to requests for information on his fate prompted calls for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February.
The WTA has threatened to take the event out of China if it does not ensure Peng is safe.
Dave Hogerti, president of the International Tennis Federation and a member of the International Olympic Committee, said in a statement on Sunday, “Our main concern is the safety and well – being of Peng Shuai. “
A Chinese government spokesman said he was unaware of Friday’s outcry.
Editor of the Party Magazine Global Times, Hu Xijin wrote on Twitter on Saturday that Peng was “free at home” and “will appear in public and take part in some activities soon.”
The ruling party has not said whether it will investigate Peng’s allegations against Kao, 75, who left the standing committee in 2018 and went missing en masse from public life.
WTA President and CEO Steve Simon expressed concern about Peng’s security. Hu showed two videos of himself in a restaurant on Saturday.
“It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. This video alone is not enough, Simon said. Our relationship with China is at a crossroads. ”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been silent on Peng’s participation in three Olympic Games.
