Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s whereabouts and her current situation in her country has been a cause of major concern for the international sporting fraternity. However, on Sunday, Peng Shuai said she is safe, in a video call with the International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach.
The whereabouts of the former doubles world number one Peng has been a matter of concern for nearly three weeks after she alleged that a former senior Chinese government official Zhang Gaoli sexually assaulted her.
In recent weeks, global rights groups have called for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China’s human rights record. The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter while the United Nations (UN) called for a probe into Peng’s allegations.
Earlier, on 2 November, Peng had posted on social media that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. The post and the topic, however, were quickly removed. Neither the China government or Zhang have commented on the matter yet.
Peng has previously teamed up with India's Sania Mirza in women's doubles.
Video Call With Thomas Bach and Support From WTA
With concerns rising about Peng’s welfare since her post, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and various sporting organisations like the WTA called for more details about the player. On Sunday, Peng had a half-hour long video call with the IOC President Thomas Bach, where she said that she was safe and living in her house in Beijing.
During the call with Bach, the Chinese tennis player thanked the IOC for their 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," IOC 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."
The IOC, according to The Guardian, aren’t backing down from the stand that there needs to be a proper investigation into Peng’s allegations. The WTA too echoed the same.
“It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don’t alleviate or address the WTA’s concern about her wellbeing and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion,” a WTA spokesperson was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
“This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern,” the IOC reportedly said.
WTA chairman Steve Simon told the BBC: "We cannot stand by compromises. This is a right and wrong issue."
Novak Djokovic backed that stance following his win over Cameron Norrie at the ATP Finals in Turin. He said: "It's important because this is horrifying. I mean, a person is missing.
"China is a huge country. It's a very important part of the world especially for the WTA. They have many tournaments there. I mean, this is necessary for us to take whatever action.
"I heard just now that the WTA is willing to pull out from China with all the tournaments unless this is resolved. I support it 100 per cent."
Peng Makes an Appearance
While authorities are doing what they can to help Peng through a stressful period, the tennis star reportedly made an appearance on Sunday in Beijing at a youth tournament, according to photos released by the organiser.
The three-time Olympian and former Wimbledon champion was shown standing beside a court, waving and signing oversize commemorative tennis balls for children, according a report in AP.
Reuters reported that Peng had visited a popular restaurant in Beijing with some other people and the restaurant manager, Zhou Hongmei, added that they ate in a private room and were joined by the restaurant's owner.
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