BEIJING, China — Former NBA star Yao Ming has revealed he and others had a nice chat when they met Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai last month. The disappearance of the latter after having brought an accusation of sexual assault against a former senior government official had then raised international concern.
He also mentioned that it was unfortunate that Novak Djokovic was not playing at the Australian Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. But Yao added he was not qualified to judge Australia’s pandemic policies.
Yao, who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011 and now serves as president of the Chinese Basketball Association, used anecdotes and humor to sidestep tough questions during a press conference to promote the Beijing Winter Olympics, which open in 18 days.
Asked about China’s relationship with the United States, which has announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games, Yao compared the sporting and cultural events to the gatherings at the community temples he attended as a child in Shanghai.
“On this occasion, even with the neighbors with whom I had argued, I nodded (in greeting), he said. Then we continued what we had to do. I think we need more of this kind of gathering.”
He also referred to the sport as a bridge for communication, saying sometimes there are collisions on bridges, but “hopefully we can keep the bridge.”
Peng, who has won Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, denied making the assault allegation to a Singapore newspaper the same day photos of her with Yao and two former Olympians were posted on social media. social. The photos appeared to be part of a campaign to address international concerns that Peng should be allowed to speak freely about her situation.
Yao said he had known Peng for about 20 years. The four Chinese sports personalities were photographed on a terrace from where they watched a winter sports exhibition.
“We had a nice conversation,” he said. We asked a lot of questions, because we were not familiar with these winter sports.
At some point, it was unclear if he said Peng was fine. Some, including the translator, heard her say “she was fine that day,” but others thought Yao said “we were all fine that day.”
The International Olympic Committee, which has come under pressure to move the Games from China due to human rights concerns, came under further criticism after IOC President Thomas Bach held a video conference call with Peng. A statement from the IOC said she had assured Bach and others that she was fine.
On Djokovic, Yao said he was unfamiliar with Australia’s pandemic measures, “so I’m not in a position to comment on whether he did well or not.”
But, he said, “speaking as a former athlete, I think it’s a shame that a player loses such an opportunity and that the spectators lose an opportunity to see such a talented player in action. .”
The former Rockets center also said he wanted to invite Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom, who has advocated for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, to visit China to gain a better understanding of the country. He added that he could not comment on Freedom’s position, but “everyone receives information from different channels and that can lead to different points of view.”
Yao, 41, concluded that society should embrace technology because it brings more convenience and promotes communication. But he started his response by saying, “If you let me choose, I’d rather go back to 10 years ago without that high tech so I could move around more freely.”
