The WATCH has held a second videoconference with the tenista china Peng Shuai In which he has offered “support at any level” and has arranged a personal meeting for the month of January, the Olympic body reports in a statement in which it “reconfirms” that the athlete is apparently in good condition.
“We share the same concern as many other people and organizations for the well-being and safety of Peng Shuai. That is why yesterday an IOC team held another video call with her,” said the note, released a day after the WTA canceled. all her tournaments in China until the situation of the player is clarified.
Peng revealed on November 2 on the social network Weibo that she had an intermittent love affair with former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, whom she accused of having sexually abused her on one occasion.
The debate on the accusations was quickly censored on Chinese social networks and the original publication (which said “that afternoon I did not consent and cried all the time”) disappeared. The tennis player’s whereabouts are unknown, although on the 21st he held a videoconference with the president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, of which graphic testimony was offered.
Quiet diplomacy
“There are different ways to check their status and their safety,” says the IOC in its note this Thursday. “We have taken a human and person-based approach. As a three-time Olympian, we address these concerns directly with Chinese sports organizations. We employ ‘quiet diplomacy’ (…), the most promising avenue in these humanitarian issues. “
The statement recalls that in the November 21 call, Peng “explained his situation and was apparently safe and well, given the difficult situation he is going through.” “This was reconfirmed in yesterday’s call,” he insists. “Our personal approach means that we remain concerned about her situation and will continue to support her,” the note concludes.
Related news
The WTA considered the evidence of Peng’s condition provided by the IOC to be insufficient, suspecting that the player spoke under pressure, and insists that the accusation be formally investigated. The number one in the men’s tennis classification, Serbian Novak Djokovic, showed on Wednesday in Madrid, where he disputes the Davis Cup, his “total support” for the WTA decision, considering the information on the true state “insufficient”. of Peng.
The controversy occurs two months after the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, on February 4, 2022.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com