Africa
Video allegedly shows Peng Shuai in Beijing
Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has reportedly appeared as a guest at a tennis tournament in Beijing, according to state media footage.
State-affiliated media posted a clip said to be of Peng on Twitter, the latest to appear to show her.
Governments, tennis officials and players have voiced concerns about her wellbeing.
Two weeks ago, she made sexual assault allegations against a former China vice-premier.
Since then she has not been in direct contact with the Women’s Tennis Association.
A clip published on Sunday by the editor of the Global Times – a Chinese state-affiliated media organisation – said she was “at the opening ceremony of a teenager tennis match final”, reported to be the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals.
It is the third clip published on that account, with the previous two purportedly showing Peng having dinner with her coach and friends in a restaurant.
Reuters news agency reports the event organisers also published photos of the player on the event’s official WeChat page.
A WTA spokesperson however told Reuters the latest videos were “insufficient” evidence of her safety and do not address its concerns about her.
It comes after WTA chief Steve Simon said on Saturday that it was unclear from the two earlier clips if the player “is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference”. The body has threatened to pull tournaments out of China without proof she is safe.
The UK Foreign Office meanwhile issued a statement saying it was “extremely concerned” about Peng and called on China to “urgently provide verifiable evidence of her safety and whereabouts”.
Peng – a former number one-ranked tennis doubles player – posted an allegation about former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Chinese social media site Weibo in early November.
She alleged she was forced into sexual relations with Mr Zhang, in a post that was later taken down.
Some of the biggest names in tennis have raised concerns about Peng’s welfare, including Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
On Saturday 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer weighed in, saying: “Clearly it’s concerning. I hope she’s safe.”
