Women’s tennis governing body says it was ‘nice’ to see Peng Shuai featured in recent video stating that she is “healthy and healthy”This did not ease their concerns for the Chinese star.
Peng – whose disappearance after making allegations of sexual assault against a powerful Chinese politician was made headlines around the world – spoke with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in a video call to assure him that she is doing well.
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The 30-minute call came after Peng accused Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Communist Party’s ruling Standing Committee, of sexually assaulting her.
On November 2, Peng posted on Chinese social media that former Vice Premier Zhang had coerced her into having sex and that they later had an on-and-off consensual relationship.
She was not seen or heard from in public for weeks following the allegations, which have since been removed from the social media platform.
Sunday’s call with IOC President Bach, Athletes’ Commission President Emma Terho and IOC member Li Lingwei, a former vice president of the Chinese Tennis Association, appears to be Peng’s first direct contact with sports officials outside China since she disappeared from public view on November 2.
The IOC said in a statement that Peng “thanked the IOC for its concern regarding his well-being.”
“She explained that she is safe and healthy, living at home in Beijing, but would like her privacy to be respected at this time,” the statement said.
“That’s why she prefers to spend her time with her friends and family right now.”
Bach said he invited Peng to join him for dinner when he arrived in Beijing in January, “which she happily accepted.”
“I was relieved to see that Peng Shuai was okay, which was our main concern,” Terho said in the IOC statement.
“She seemed relaxed. I offered her our support and to stay in touch at any time that suited her, which she obviously appreciated.
The world concerned about Peng Shuai’s situation
The whereabouts of former doubles world number one Peng has been a subject of international concern for almost three weeks, with Chinese state media doing its best to allay the world’s fears.
Social media posts from China appear to show Peng at a dinner with friends on Saturday and at a children’s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, but concerns remain over whether these events were organized and how much freedom does the Chinese star really have?
account with less than 1,000 followers, last original tweet in 2012 and last tweet in 2017. claims Peng Shuai is with him at an “influential restaurant in Beijing” for dinner. everyone and their grandmother comes to say that Peng Shuai is fine, except Peng Shuai herself. https://t.co/ds2dAo11xg
– Aurora Chang 張瓊方 ????️ (@aurorachaang) November 21, 2021
The WTA said in a statement that while the most recent video with the IOC is a positive development, major questions surrounding his sexual assault allegations and censorship by Chinese state media remain unanswered.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they do not allay or address the WTA’s concerns about her well-being and her ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” a spokeswoman for the WTA in an email.
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokesperson said: “This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into his allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that raised our initial concern.
The concern over Peng comes as international rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February because of China’s human rights record.
The WTA also threatened to withdraw tournaments from China over the issue.
Peng’s initial post about the sexual assault allegations was quickly deleted and the topic was blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet.
Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on Peng’s allegations.
The United States and Britain then asked China to provide evidence of Peng’s whereabouts and top tennis players such as Serena Williams, Noami Osaka, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all expressed concern for his well-being.
with agencies
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