Beijing – A date for the meeting between IOC President Thomas Bach and tennis player Peng Shuai at the Winter Olympics in Beijing has not yet been concretely agreed upon.
“This meeting will take place during the Games,” a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
He said the Chinese Olympic Committee had supported the IOC in organising the various talks and would also ensure that the meeting could take place under very strict Corona measures and in the Olympic bubble during the Games.
Controversies after allegations
Peng Shuai, the former world number one in doubles, had posted allegations of sexual assault by a top Chinese politician on the Weibo social network in early November. The entry was deleted soon after. State censors had also blocked any debate on the Chinese internet about it. There is no independent information about the well-being of the tennis player, many athletes had expressed concern. German IOC President Thomas Bach had spoken to her in video links.
The IOC had remained in contact with Peng Shuai since her first phone call on 21 November 2021 and had held a series of meetings with her – “the last one just last week”, it said. “In this way we have got to know each other better.” For example, it said, she told the IOC that she was looking forward to the Winter Games and would be following the competitions and her fellow Chinese athletes closely.