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The International Olympic Committee said on Thursday it had held a second meeting with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, who is trying to deflect criticism for his light-touch approach to China just months before the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
“We share the same concern as many other individuals and organizations regarding the health and safety of Peng Shuai.” The IOC statement said. “So just yesterday, an IOC team had another video call with him. We offered him extensive support, we will stay in regular contact with him and have already agreed to a personal meeting in January.”
As with an earlier meeting with Peng on November 21, the IOC did not release a video or transcript of the meeting, not specifying how Wednesday’s meeting was held or who attended. The previous call included IOC president Thomas Bach, as well as an IOC member from China.
Peng, 35, disappeared from the public eye more than a month ago. blamed Zhang Gaoli, China’s former vice premier, has been accused of sexual harassment. His disappearance, China’s efforts to censor mention of his allegations, and sometimes clumsy efforts has raised concerns about his safety with tennis officials, other athletes, and human rights groups to suggest that he withdraws his claims.
The IOC statement, like its previous statements about Peng, made no mention of the sexual assault allegations, only referring to the “difficult situation he was in”.
The latest video call, which the IOC says happened on Wednesday, came the day the professional women’s tennis tour was announced. suspend all your activities Until the Chinese government takes various measures, including in Hong Kong. He called on the government to stop censoring Peng, a Grand Slam doubles champion and three-time Olympic champion; allow him to speak and travel freely; and “to investigate allegations of sexual assault in a full, fair and transparent manner”.
Olympic officials have been on the defensive for weeks over Peng’s disappearance and their relative silence over allegations of sexual assault, which critics of both the organization and China derided as an attempt to avoid even appearing to be criticizing a powerful partner. The 2022 Winter Olympics in China, which will make Beijing the first city to host the Summer and Winter Games, kick off on February 4.
The IOC objected that the effort to help Peng was a campaign of “silent diplomacy”, which it repeated in a statement Thursday, and that its representatives used to defend the organization. in news media appearances.
“There are different ways to ensure its well-being and safety,” the IOC said. “We’ve taken a very human and people-centred approach to his situation. As a three-time Olympic champion, the IOC is addressing these concerns directly with Chinese sports organizations. Given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organisations, we use ‘silent diplomacy’, which has been cited as the most promising way to move forward effectively on such humanitarian issues.”
Through the WTA Tour, women’s tennis has taken a much more confrontational approach with China. The announcement on Wednesday that it was suspending all its activities in China came after weeks after tour and CEO Steve Simon requested an investigation into Peng’s assurances and allegations regarding his safety.
Decision to withdraw its events from China and Hong Kong the tour can cost hundreds of millions of dollars But it has made the WTA Tour the only major sporting organization to backtrack against China’s increasingly authoritarian government. WTA Tour officials said they made the decision after they were unable to speak directly with Peng after he accused China’s former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli in his rapidly-deleted social media posts.
“While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that he is free, safe and free of censorship, coercion and intimidation,” said Simon. said in a statement. Simon confirmed that Tour still hasn’t been able to speak directly to Peng.
Inside interview with CNN On Wednesday night, Simon said Richard W. Pound, the longest-serving member of the IOC and the longest-serving member of the IOC, who said this week the “unanimous opinion” of Peng and top Olympic officials this week, is that Peng is “good” on Peng’s safety. refused their assurances.
“Mr. Pound and those associated with him can certainly have their own opinions,” said Simon, before adding: “Would the editing of what we see change my position? Trick.”
For many critics of the IOC, the cautious, cautious language in its statements about Peng – seen as an attempt to explain its silence rather than to ensure its safety – is simply the latest proof that Olympic officials will not take any action that would upset China. Government before the Winter Games. This approach has alarmed human rights officials.
“From its silence on Beijing’s lousy human rights record to its active cooperation with Chinese authorities to undermine freedom of speech and ignore allegations of sexual assault, the IOC has pulled itself together,” he said. Yaqiu Wang, a senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The IOC seems to reward its relationship with a major human rights violator more than the rights and safety of Olympic athletes.”
Christopher Clarey contributed to the reporting.
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