By Joe McDonald
Beijing: Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had a video call on Sunday with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and told him she was safe and well, the IOC said in a statement.
Photos and videos of Peng at a tournament in Beijing earlier on Sunday had done little to dampen international concerns following a nearly three-week public absence after she alleged that a former senior Chinese official had sexually assaulted her.
Peng Shuai at Wimbledon in 2018.Credit: AP
In a statement, the IOC said that Peng and Thomas Bach spoke for 30 minutes, with the tennis star thanking the IOC for its concern. Also on the call were IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Emma Terho and IOC member Li Lingwei, a former vice-president of the Chinese Tennis Association.
The IOC released a statement saying Peng claimed to be safe and well and living at her home in Beijing. “[She] would like to have her privacy respected at this time,” the statement read.
“That is why she prefers to spend her time with friends and family right now. Nevertheless, she will continue to be involved in tennis, the sport she loves so much.”
There was no indication given as to whether or not the conversation was monitored by Chinese authorities or whether government officials were also present during the call.
Bach invited Peng to join him for dinner when he arrives in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics. Terho and Li were also invited.
“I was relieved to see that Peng Shuai was doing fine, which was our main concern,” Terho said in the IOC statement. The hockey player from Finland represents athletes on the IOC executive board.
“She appeared to be relaxed,” Terho said. “I offered her our support and to stay in touch at any time of her convenience, which she obviously appreciated.”
Peng had earlier reappeared in public at a youth tournament in Beijing, according to photos released by the organiser, as the ruling Communist Party tried to quell fears abroad about her safety.
The post by the China Open on the Weibo social media service made no mention of Peng’s disappearance or her accusation. Peng was shown standing beside a court, waving and signing oversize commemorative tennis balls for children.
The appearance followed an announcement by the editor of a party newspaper on Twitter on Saturday, which can’t be seen by most internet users in China, that the three-time Olympian would “show up in public” soon.
The ruling party appears to be trying to defuse alarm about Peng without acknowledging her disappearance after the former Wimbledon and Paris Open doubles champion accused Zhang Gaoli, a member of the party’s ruling Standing Committee until 2018, of forcing her to have sex.
Peng’s disappearance and the government’s silence in response to appeals for information prompted calls for a boycott of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics, a prestige event for the Communist Party. The women’s professional tour threatened to pull events out of China unless the safety of the former no. 1 doubles player was assured.
Discussion of Peng’s accusation has been deleted from websites in China. A government spokesman on Friday denied knowing about the outcry. The ruling party’s internet filters also block most people in China from seeing other social media abroad and most global news outlets.
Peng adds to a growing number of Chinese businesspeople, activists and ordinary people who have disappeared in recent years after criticising party figures or in crackdowns on corruption or pro-democracy and labor rights campaigns.
Some re-emerge weeks or months later without explanation, suggesting they are warned not to disclose they were detained.
The editor of the party newspaper Global Times, Hu Xijin, wrote on Saturday on Twitter that Peng “stayed in her own home freely” and would “show up in public and participate in some activities soon”.
The English-language Global Times, aimed at foreign readers, is known for its nationalistic tone. Hu uses his Twitter account to criticise foreign governments and point out social and economic problems abroad.
Tennis stars and the Women’s Tennis Association have been unusually vocal in demanding information about Peng. Other companies and sports groups are reluctant to confront Beijing due to fears of losing access to the Chinese market.
The ruling party has given no indication whether it is investigating Peng’s accusation against Gao, 75, who left the Standing Committee in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public life.
Even if Peng’s accusation is deemed valid, people in China often are jailed or face other penalties for embarrassing the party by publicising complaints about abuses instead of going through the secretive, often unresponsive official system.
The status of star athletes such as Peng is especially sensitive. State media celebrate their victories as proof the party is making China strong. But the party is vigilant about making sure they cannot use their prominence and public appeal to erode its image.
Steve Simon, the WTA’s chairman and CEO, expressed concern for Peng’s safety after Hu posted two videos on Saturday that appeared to show her in a restaurant.
“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. This video alone is insufficient,” Simon said. “Our relationship with China is at a crossroads.”
Until Sunday’s video call, the IOC had remained quiet about the status of Peng.
Terho, the newly elected head of the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission that is charged with representing the interests of Olympic athletes, said in a statement on Saturday “we support the quiet diplomacy” approach favoured by the IOC.
Last week, the foreign arm of state TV issued a statement in English attributed to Peng that retracted her accusation against Zhang. The WTA’s Simon questioned its legitimacy while others said it only increased their concern about her safety.
Tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had earlier joined the chorus of concern for the wellbeing of Peng.
AP, with Reuters
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