By Daily Sports on November 21, 2021

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai said she was safe and well in a video call on Sunday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says.

In a statement, the IOC said its President Thomas Bach had spoken to Ms Peng for 30 minutes. “[She] was doing fine, which was our main concern,” the statement read.

Ms Peng, 35, disappeared from the public eye for almost three weeks after she made sexual assault allegations against a senior Chinese minister. Her absence triggered widespread concern, with international sports stars and governments calling on China to provide proof that she was safe.

“At the beginning of the 30-minute call, Peng Shuai thanked the IOC for its concern about her wellbeing,” the statement from the organisation said. “She explained that she is safe and well, living at her home in Beijing, but would like to have her privacy respected at this time,” it added. “She prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now,” it said.

“Nevertheless, she will continue to be involved in tennis.”

The IOC statement also included an image of the video call taking place, with Ms Peng seen smiling to the camera. The outcry over the tennis star’s apparent disappearance from the public eye prompted Chinese state media to release a series of photographs and videos that appeared to show all was well.

Earlier on Sunday, a state media journalist posted a video clip on Twitter showing Ms Peng smiling while standing with officials at a tennis tournament in Beijing.

Reuters news agency reported that the event organisers also published photos of the player on the event’s official WeChat page. But a spokesperson from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) told Reuters the videos were “insufficient” evidence of her safety and did not address its concerns about Ms Peng.

“While it is positive to see her, it remains unclear if she is free and able to make decisions and take actions on her own, without coercion or external interference,” WTA chief Steve Simon said at the time.

The UK Foreign Office issued a statement saying it was “extremely concerned” about her, while the United Nations said it wanted proof of Ms Peng’s whereabouts. Ms Peng – a former number one-ranked tennis doubles player – posted an allegation about former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli on Chinese social media site Weibo in early November.

She alleged she was forced into sexual relations with Mr Zhang, in a post that was taken down minutes later. It was the first time such a claim has been made against one of China’s senior political leaders. (BBC)

•PHOTO: IOC President Thomas Bach speaking to Ms Peng

Source Daily Sports

Posted November 21, 2021

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