Image source, IOC/GREG MARTIN
IOC President Thomas Martin spoke with Peng on video.
Ten weeks after tennis player Peng Shui made a sexual harassment complaint against China’s former deputy prime minister, he has spoken out in a video call.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) chairman Thomas Pack said he spoke with her for about 30 minutes.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement that it was “safe and sound”.
“She was OK. That was our main concern,” the statement said.
what happened?
Peng Shuai, 35, was China’s first doubles tennis player.
He has made allegations of sexual harassment against former Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Qawli. On November 2, Weibo uploaded a video on the website.
In the post, Peng said he was forced to have sex with Zhang Qawli.
Image source, Getty Images
But within about an hour the record was gone. Posting comments on his page was also blocked. As a result, about 5 lakh people who follow him could not register their views.
Other posts that mention Shang Qawli’s name did not show up in the search engine. Thus the records were placed without mentioning his name directly.
After that Peng disappeared from public view. No details were given on his whereabouts.
This caused widespread concern. Many international sports stars have expressed their concern. Several governments have called on the Chinese government to ensure he is safe.
Tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams will also be among the speakers.
In New York a group of Chinese feminists held a rally in support of Peng Shui.
Chinese media published the photos
Amid rumors that Peng’s whereabouts are unknown, Chinese state media have repeatedly released photos of him in good health.
A state media journalist posted on Twitter a video of Peng smiling at a tennis match in Beijing on Sunday.
The organizers of the competition posted photos of Peng on their official WeChat page.
But they alone cannot be taken as sufficient evidence that Peng is safe, a spokeswoman for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) told Reuters.
Later on Sunday, the organization issued a new statement emphasizing the same thing. “WTA’s concerns are not allayed by specific videos,” it said.
Event organizer Crystal Chen told the BBC that although the videos and photos released showed Peng being “physically harmless”, he was “not really free”.
What was said in the IOC report?
Three weeks later, Peng spoke via video with Thomas, the head of the International Olympic Committee, according to a statement from the Olympic Committee.
“At the beginning of the 30-minute call, Peng Shuai thanked the IOC for its concern for its well-being,” the statement said.
Image source, Getty Images
“He said he was safe and well and lived at his home in Beijing. His privacy should be respected at this time,” the statement added.
“He now wants to spend his time with friends and family. However, he will continue to play tennis.”
Attached is a picture taken during the video call in the IOC report. In it Peng is smiling towards the camera.
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