Author: Ken Mori
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — Former NBA superstar Yao Ming said on Jan. 17 that he and others had pleasant conversations last month during a meeting with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who made sexual assault allegations against a former government official. After disappearing, it has attracted the attention of the international community. Care.
He also said it was unfortunate that Novak Djokovic would not play at the Australian Open due to his COVID-19 vaccination status. But Yao added that he was not qualified to judge Australia’s pandemic policy.
Yao Ming, who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002-11 and is currently the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, used story and humor to deflect challenging issues in a press conference promoting the Beijing Winter Olympics.
When asked about China’s relationship with the United States, Yao compared sports and cultural events to community temple gatherings he attended in Shanghai as a child.
“In that case, even the neighbors I had a fight with, I would nod (to say hello),” he said. “Then we go on to do whatever we need to do. I think we need more of these temple gatherings.”
He also called sport a bridge of communication, saying there were sometimes collisions on the bridge, but “we want to keep the bridge”.
Peng, who won a Grand Slam title in women’s doubles, denied making assault allegations to a Singapore newspaper on the same day that photos of her with Yao Ming and two former Olympians were posted on social media. The photos appear to be part of a campaign to respond to international demands to allow Peng to speak freely about her situation.
Yao said he has known Peng for about 20 years. The four Chinese sports figures were filmed on the observation deck, from which they watched the winter sports exhibition.
“We had a good chat,” he said. “Because we were not familiar with snow sports, we asked a lot of questions about the race.”
At one point, it was unclear whether he said Peng was fine. Some, including the interpreter at the press conference, heard her say “she was fine that day”, but others thought Yao said “we were all fine that day”.
The IOC, which was forced to move the Games from China over human rights concerns, has come under further fire after IOC president Thomas Bach made a video call with Mr Peng. A statement from the IOC said she assured Bach and others that she was fine.
Regarding Djokovic, Yao Ming said he was not familiar with Australia’s epidemic measures, “so I can’t comment on whether his approach is right or wrong.”
But, he said, “As a former athlete, I think it’s a pity that the player loses the opportunity and the audience loses the opportunity to appreciate the player’s skills.”
The former Rockets center also said he wanted to invite Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom, who advocated a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, to visit China to learn more about China. He said he could not comment on Freedom’s position, but “everyone receives information from different sources, which can lead to different views.”
Yao, 41, said society should embrace technology because it brings more convenience and facilitates communication. But his answer was: “If you gave me the choice, I’d rather go back to 10 years ago, without these high-tech technologies, so that I can move more freely.”
