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Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has taken part in a 30-minute video call from Beijing with International Olympic Committee officials and told them he was safe and well, the Olympic body said on Sunday.
The call came amid a growing global alert about Peng’s situation. His appearance at a youth tennis event in Beijing on Sunday and the social media messages he published on his behalf did not fully convince people outside China that he had the freedom to act because he was sexually assaulted by a former leading Communist party official.
The call with IOC chairman Thomas Bach, athlete committee chairman Emma Terho and IOC member Li Lingwei, a former vice president of the Chinese Tennis Association, appears to be Peng’s first direct contact outside China after he disappeared from publicity in November. 2.
Peng “thanked the IOC for its concern for his well-being,” the Swiss-based Olympic body said in a statement.
“He explained that he is safe and well while living in his home in Beijing, but would like his privacy to be respected at the moment. That is why he prefers to spend time with friends and family right now,” the statement said.
Three weeks ago, Peng, who played in the three Olympics in China from 2008 to 2016, prosecuted Zhang Gaol, a former member of the Communist Party’s Standing Committee, on social media.
The post was deleted in minutes, and the former number one player disappeared from the public domain. He did not respond publicly to requests for information to show he was safe.
Saa Petricic, senior correspondent at CBC News, will discuss the latest missing Chinese tennis player, Peng Shua, and its implications for possible boycott discussions at the Beijing Winter Games. 3:44
The IOC has been criticized for its relatively quiet publicity, as concerns about Peng grew last week. It has followed “silent diplomacy” with the host country of the 2022 Olympics. The Beijing Winter Games will open on February 4th.
Bach has now invited Peng to dinner when he arrives in Beijing in January, “which he gladly accepted,” the IOC said. Terho and Li were also invited.
“I was relieved to see that Peng Shua was doing well, which was our main concern,” Terho said in a statement from the IOC. The Finnish hockey player represents athletes on the IOC board.
“He seemed relaxed,” Terho said. “I offered him our support and communication at any time convenient to him, which he apparently appreciated.”
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared when he accused a former high-ranking Chinese politician of his sexual exploitation. The tennis world and the international diplomatic community are demanding an independent inquiry into his whereabouts and well-being. 3:57
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Sources 2/ https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/china-peng-shuai-tennis-olympic-officials-1.6257445 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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