Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai appeared at a Beijing tennis tournament Sunday, according to official event photos, after international pressure mounted for information about her wellbeing. Peng can be seen in a navy sports jacket and white trackpants at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals, according to photos published on the official Weibo account of the China Open — her first public appearance since her sexual abuse accusations were widely censored on the Chinese internet. The two-time Grand Slam doubles champion had not been seen publicly since alleging earlier this month that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli, now in his 70s, forced her into sex during an on-off relationship spanning several years.
Following a global outcry, including from tennis superstars and the United Nations, Chinese state media reporters have released a flurry of footage purporting to show all is well with Peng.
A video from the event, tweeted by Global Times newspaper editor Hu Xijin, shows Peng standing in a stadium among a group of guests whose names are announced to a smattering of applause.
A Global Times reporter tweeted another video showing Peng signing autographs for children at what appears to be the same stadium before posing for photos with them.
Hu also posted two other videos on Saturday, the first showing Peng walking into a restaurant wearing a coat, knit cap and face mask.
A visible sign says Beijing Yibin Guesthouse, a famous restaurant a stone’s throw from Tiananmen Square owned by the Sichuan local government.
In the second, Peng is maskless sitting at a table chatting with people over a meal.
With inputs from NDTV
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