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Chinese tennis star Peng says she is safe in video call with IOC president
A handout photo posted on the International Olympic Committee website on Nov 21, 2021 shows IOC President Thomas Bach holding a video call with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. (Photo: AFP/OIS/IOC/ Greg Martin)
Greg MARTIN / OIS/IOC / AFP
22 Nov 2021 06:47AM
BEIJING: Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had a video call on Sunday (Nov 21) with the president of the International Olympic Committee and told him she was safe and well, the IOC said, after Western governments expressed mounting concern for her well-being.
Photos and videos of Peng at a children's tournament in Beijing published earlier in the day had done little to quell that unease, following a nearly three-week public absence after she alleged that a former senior Chinese official sexually assaulted her.
In a statement, the IOC said Peng began the 30-minute call with its president Thomas Bach by thanking the Olympic organisation for its concern.
"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," the IOC's statement said.
"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."
France's foreign minister had earlier called on the Chinese authorities to provide more reassurance, echoing a statement by the Women's Tennis Association that the images of Peng at the tournament were "insufficient" proof.
"I'm expecting only one thing: that she speaks," France's Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC's statement.
Chinese tennis star Peng says she is safe in video call with IOC president
A handout photo posted on the International Olympic Committee website on Nov 21, 2021 shows IOC President Thomas Bach holding a video call with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. (Photo: AFP/OIS/IOC/ Greg Martin)
Greg MARTIN / OIS/IOC / AFP
22 Nov 2021 06:47AM
BEIJING: Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had a video call on Sunday (Nov 21) with the president of the International Olympic Committee and told him she was safe and well, the IOC said, after Western governments expressed mounting concern for her well-being.
Photos and videos of Peng at a children's tournament in Beijing published earlier in the day had done little to quell that unease, following a nearly three-week public absence after she alleged that a former senior Chinese official sexually assaulted her.
In a statement, the IOC said Peng began the 30-minute call with its president Thomas Bach by thanking the Olympic organisation for its concern.
"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," the IOC's statement said.
"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."
France's foreign minister had earlier called on the Chinese authorities to provide more reassurance, echoing a statement by the Women's Tennis Association that the images of Peng at the tournament were "insufficient" proof.
"I'm expecting only one thing: that she speaks," France's Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television, adding that there could be unspecified diplomatic consequences if China did not clear up the situation. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the IOC's statement.