Amid growing international attention about her plight, Chinese state media on Thursday abruptly issue an email It said Peng had written to Women’s Tennis Association President Steve Simon.
The letter could not verify the authenticity of the letter claiming Peng was resting at home and never allowed the original “untrue” statement to be posted on Weibo.
But in one declare on Thursday, Simon said Peng’s letter was intended to only make him fear more for her safety.
“It is very hard for me to believe that Peng Shuai actually wrote the email we received or to believe what is being attributed to her,” he said.
He called for “independent and verifiable evidence” of her safety and a full investigation into her claims.
“Peng Shuai must be allowed to speak freely, without coercion or threat from any source,” Simon said. “Her allegations of sexual assault must be respected, investigated with full transparency and without censorship.”
Simon told CNN WTA was prepared to no longer do business with China, and thus lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, if Peng were not taken into account.
“This is bigger than the business,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Women’s Sports Foundation, a US nonprofit founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King, told BuzzFeed News they support the WTA’s stance.
A spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned and concerned by the disappearance of Peng Shuai and her alleged sexual assault. “We support WTA’s requests for verifiable evidence of her safety and that her allegations be respected and investigated with full transparency.”
But the letter seems to be enough for the International Olympic Committee, which has been mostly silent about the disappearance of a three-time Olympic athlete.
“We have reviewed the latest reports and are encouraged by the assurance that she is safe,” an IOC spokesman said on Thursday.
That quiet statement is Criticized as stupid via wide range Later Western media and non-governmental organizations.
