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Chinese Tennis Star Peng Shuai Has Not Been Seen in Weeks After Posting About Assault by Politician

HeadlineNov 19, 2021

Concerns are mounting for Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who mysteriously disappeared from public view after she accused a top Chinese politician of sexual assault. Thirty-five-year-old Peng made the accusation against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli in a social media post on November 2 and has not been seen since. Censors deleted the post from social media platform Weibo within 30 minutes of its publication, and Chinese authorities have since dodged or denied the issue. The Women’s Tennis Association threatened to cut ties with China and say an email published by Chinese state media, purportedly written to the WTA by Peng, was a fraud. Tennis’s biggest names, including Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, have tweeted out messages of support with the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai.

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