Journalist Allowed to Interview Peng Shuai Admits It Was ‘Propaganda’
At the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne last month, fans wore T-shirts asking the question: “Where is Peng Shuai?” It was not just a political protest; there was genuine concern for the fate of the Chinese tennis star who all but disappeared from view after a social media post accusing a senior Chinese politician of rape.
Of course, those T-shirts would never be allowed at the Beijing Winter Olympics—and it’s not exactly T-shirt weather—but the question no longer needs to be asked: Peng Shuai has been popping up all over town, playing her part in what seems to be a concerted effort by the Chinese to move the story on. A cover-up, but in plain sight.
There was dinner on Saturday night with Thomas Bach, IOC president and former German fencer, where the two were said to have compared their sporting experiences and Peng, 36, described her sadness at failing to qualify for last year’s Tokyo Summer Games.