Richard Heathcote
On the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne final month, followers wore T-shirts asking the query: “The place is Peng Shuai?” It was not only a political protest; there was real concern for the destiny of the Chinese language tennis star who all however disappeared from view after a social media submit accusing a senior Chinese language politician of rape.
In fact, these T-shirts would by no means be allowed on the Beijing Winter Olympics—and it’s not precisely T-shirt climate—however the query now not must be requested: Peng Shuai has been popping up throughout city, enjoying her half in what appears to be a concerted effort by the Chinese language to maneuver the story on. A canopy-up, however in plain sight.
There was dinner on Saturday evening with Thomas Bach, IOC president and former German fencer, the place the 2 have been stated to have in contrast their sporting experiences, and Peng, 36, described her disappointment at failing to qualify for final 12 months’s Tokyo Summer time Video games.
She additionally popped up at a blended doubles curling match after which, the next night, on the determine skating, in addition to giving an interview to the French sports activities newspaper L’Equipe during which she denied ever having accused anybody of assaulting her and stated that her phrases within the since-deleted Weibo submit had been misunderstood. “I by no means disappeared. It’s simply that lots of people, like my mates, together with from the IOC, messaged me, and it was fairly unimaginable to answer to so many messages,” she stated.
On Tuesday, regardless of super-strict COVID restrictions which have saved even probably the most sports-mad Chinese language followers at residence, Peng was within the stands once more, watching 18-year-old Californian skier Eileen Gu, competing for her mom’s native China, win gold within the freestyle Large Air competitors.
Sporting a black knit hat with the Olympic rings and a black coat with the Chinese language flag, Peng exchanged greetings with IOC boss Bach. She additionally acknowledged a journalist’s greeting, though she declined to reply questions as she left the venue at a transformed metal mill on the outskirts of Beijing.
The previous world No. 1 doubles participant, now formally retired, seems to be probably the most sought-after VIP of the Beijing Video games, her accusations towards former vice premier Zhang Gaoli forgotten.
However Marc Ventouillac, one of many two L’Equipe reporters who interviewed Peng, stated he nonetheless didn't know if she was talking freely or not.
“It’s unimaginable to say,” he advised the Related Press, in an English-language interview on Monday. “This interview don’t give proof that there isn't any downside with Peng Shuai.”
Ventouillac stated the Peng interview had been organized by way of the Chinese language Olympic Committee, with pre-submitted questions and an settlement that her responses could be revealed verbatim. Within the occasion, the interview carried on for an hour, twice so long as deliberate, and Peng answered all of the questions put to her.
He had little question, although, that the interview was a part of a deliberate marketing campaign to cease the row overshadowing the Beijing Video games any greater than it already has.
“It’s part of communication, propaganda, from the Chinese language Olympic Committee,” Ventouillac stated, including that with “an interview to an enormous European newspaper, they will present: ‘OK, there isn't any downside with Peng Shuai. See? Journalists... they will ask all of the questions they wished.’”
Watching the Large Air competitors on Tuesday, when Gu grabbed the gold-medal spot by touchdown a hovering four-and-a-half-rotation leap she had by no means even tried in follow earlier than, Peng might have been reminded of Mao Zedong’s declaration in 1949 that, “Girls maintain up half the sky.”
It was an iconic line, however the truth stays that the Chinese language Communist Get together continues to be dominated by males, simply as a lot because it was in Chairman Mao’s day. In reality, because the exiled artist Ai Weiwei put it in a Guardian interview forward of the Beijing Video games, there by no means was any Peng Shuai thriller. “She is within the very protected palms of the Communist get together. They may ensure she behaves precisely in line with the get together,” he stated. “She might already be considering she made a mistake in exposing this very deep, darkish relationship... She has change into one other particular person, and no matter she tells you shouldn't be true.”