Peng Shuai just gave an in-person interview to French sports magazine L'Équipe, her first such interview to foreign media since the #WhereIsPengShuai conspiracy theory broke out.
Firstly, to state the obvious, she is there ⬇️ If anything, that should settle that...
Small 🧵
Firstly, to state the obvious, she is there ⬇️ If anything, that should settle that...
Small 🧵
She'd already been accosted at a skiing event in a scoop interview by a Singaporean journalist: zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china… but this time with L'Équipe they met in a Beijing hotel and sat down for 1hr.
She reiterated that she'd never accused Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault in her original Weibo post and that this was an "enormous misunderstanding by foreigners".
She calls everyone to "stop deforming" her meaning in the post and to stop the media onslaught about it.
She calls everyone to "stop deforming" her meaning in the post and to stop the media onslaught about it.
That should have been obvious right from the start for anyone reading the post ⬇️ with non-biased eyes.
Heck she even writes she "agreed" to have sex that evening and they started a 3-year relationship from that day onwards.
Heck she even writes she "agreed" to have sex that evening and they started a 3-year relationship from that day onwards.
She says she never did disappear and that this is basically a conspiracy theory: "I don't know why the theory that I disappeared got spread".
She says she never stopped being in "very close contact" with her friends, her colleagues and the WTA.
She says she never stopped being in "very close contact" with her friends, her colleagues and the WTA.
She implies that Steve Simon of the WTA lied when he said she never replied to him ⬇️
She says that before the WTA put up their statement alleging she'd "disappeared", she only ever received one email from a WTA psychologist offering their assistance.
She says that before the WTA put up their statement alleging she'd "disappeared", she only ever received one email from a WTA psychologist offering their assistance.
https://twitter.com/theage/status/1466652265184468992?s=20&t=VRCZ-8uhGewKcsosqikKJA
She says she found it "very unusual": "why would I need psychological assistance?".
She goes on that it's "exaggerating" for the WTA to assume she'd disappeared on the sole basis that she didn't engage with a single offer for psychological assistance.
She goes on that it's "exaggerating" for the WTA to assume she'd disappeared on the sole basis that she didn't engage with a single offer for psychological assistance.
She says that straight after reading the WTA statement she "replied [herself] to president of the WTA Steve Simon."
She goes on: "Several copies were sent and these emails I wrote myself. It's my personal declaration."
She goes on: "Several copies were sent and these emails I wrote myself. It's my personal declaration."
She adds: "The same evening I also sent WeChat messages to my colleagues in the players' department to confirm personally to them that I was the author of the emails sent from my work email address."
To no avail of course because Steve Simon immediately went on a media campaign to say he had a 'hard time believing' the email was written by Peng and that it 'only raises concerns' on her safety 🤦
firstpost.com/sports/email-w…
firstpost.com/sports/email-w…
She also calls to stop politicizing sports because "it is against the will of athletes and the world of sports"
She ends the interview with a message: "I hope for less antagonism and more understanding in the world between countries that have very different systems and cultures"
She ends the interview with a message: "I hope for less antagonism and more understanding in the world between countries that have very different systems and cultures"
I look forward to all the media and organizations apologizing for spreading the #WhereIsPengShuai conspiracy during weeks as well as for the obvious distortion of her Weibo post (often claiming that she wrote she'd been "raped")...
But I'm afraid I'll wait a long time...
But I'm afraid I'll wait a long time...
There's no winning with these people 🤦
When Peng Shuai doesn't fit the narrative "she can't speak freely" and she's a mindless tool of a "CCP propaganda scheme" without agency.
Of course if she'd said the contrary she'd have been lauded...
Relevant Parenti quote included.
When Peng Shuai doesn't fit the narrative "she can't speak freely" and she's a mindless tool of a "CCP propaganda scheme" without agency.
Of course if she'd said the contrary she'd have been lauded...
Relevant Parenti quote included.
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