BEIJING, China – The president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday sought to downplay concerns over the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shui, saying he planned to continue the long-promised dinner during the Beijing Games.
Peng accused a former senior Chinese Communist Party official of sexual assault last year. IOC President Thomas Bach is one of the few people outside China to speak to Peng over the past three months during video conferences with IOC staff.
The calls drew criticism from tennis executives and human rights activists who wanted videos or transcripts that would verify Peng’s prosperity. They claimed that the IOC covered the host country of the Olympic Games.
“We know from her explanations during the teleconferences that she lives here in Beijing,” Bach explained, “that she can move around freely, that she spends time with her family and friends.
“We will learn more about his physical integrity and mental state when we can finally meet in person,” he said, adding that his physical safety was “perhaps the most important human right.”
The most recent call between Peng and ILO staff was this week, Bach added.
No details were given about the dinner during the Olympic Games, in the bubble that separates the accredited staff from the Chinese public.
The two-time Grand Slam champion used a social media post to accuse a former member of China’s standing committee, Zhang Gaoli, of sexually assaulting him several years earlier. The post was quickly deleted and the details of the claim were deleted from the internet in China.
Peng then appeared to be disappearing from the public sphere, but soon made a brief appearance at a youth tennis event. She also gave an interview in a Chinese daily language in Singapore, which asked questions about its authenticity.
On social media, the hashtag WhereIsPengShuai has become very popular and the player has received support from big tennis stars such as Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer.
The campaign was spotted at the Australian Open last month with dozens of supporters wearing the slogan on T-shirts.
The IOC president claimed that if Peng wanted a formal Chinese inquiry into her allegations, “we would also support her in this area, but that should be her decision.”
“You need to respect her,” Bach concluded, “to listen to her and how she sees the situation, how she wants to live her life.”
