Peng Shuai Eats Her Words, Denies Making Sexual Assault Rap

The three-time Olympian Peng Shuai says she deleted a November social media post that seemingly accused a senior Chinese official of sexual assault because she "wanted to" do so.

Photo Insert: This is one of Peng Shuai's returns that the sporting community is calling "out."

The sporting community remains to be convinced. Peng Shuai's disappearance for three weeks after deleting the November social post prompted serious concerns about her safety from around the world, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported.

She said she never accused anyone of sexual assault and announced her retirement from the sport during an interview with French newspaper L'Equipe on Monday. The Associated Press (AP), Agence France-Presse (AFP), and Reuters also reported on Peng’s denial.

Last November, Peng appeared to accuse a former Chinese vice premier of sexual assault in a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The post was quickly deleted. Peng, who disappeared from public view for around three weeks after that, released a statement in December, saying there had been a "misunderstanding" with regard to the post.

Chinese human rights lawyer Teng Biao told DW that he believes Peng's comments were part of a forced confession. "Some human rights activists, human rights lawyers, or foreign nationals have been forced to make televised confessions in China in the past," he said.

"They would be forced to say what the Chinese authorities told them to say under great pressure. This is certainly the case with Peng," Teng added.

He pointed out that "Peng has been accompanied by others during her last few public appearances and the information was often released by China's state media," adding that her public appearance "was all arranged."

Teng also told DW that the "[IOC] and its President Thomas Bach have been helping to promote the Chinese government's propaganda in Peng Shuai's case. It is shameful for the IOC to put its own interests ahead of the basic human rights of athletes."

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