IOC Says It Held Second Video Call With Peng Shuai

Olympic officials have been on the defensive for weeks for their relative silence on Peng’s disappearance and her claims of sexual assault, which critics of both the organization and of China have derided as an attempt to avoid even the appearance of criticizing a powerful partner. The 2022 Winter Olympics in China, which will make Beijing the first city to host the Summer and Winter Games, open on Feb. 4.

The I.O.C. has countered that its effort to aid Peng has been a campaign of “quiet diplomacy,” a phrase it repeated in Thursday’s statement and which its representatives have used to defend the organization in news media appearances.

“There are different ways to achieve her well-being and safety,” the I.O.C. said. “We have taken a very human and person-centered approach to her situation. Since she is a three-time Olympian, the I.O.C. is addressing these concerns directly with Chinese sports organizations. We are using ‘quiet diplomacy’ which, given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organizations, is indicated to be the most promising way to proceed effectively in such humanitarian matters.”

Women’s tennis, through the WTA Tour, has taken a far more confrontational approach with China. Its announcement Wednesday that it was suspending all its events in China came after weeks of demands by the tour and its chief executive Steve Simon, for reassurances about Peng’s safety and an investigation into her claims.

The decision to pull its events out of China and Hong Kong could cost the tour hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, but it made the WTA Tour the only major sports organization to push back against China’s increasingly authoritarian government. WTA Tour officials said they made the decision after they were unable to speak directly with Peng after she accused Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier of China, in social media posts that were quickly deleted.

“While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation,” Simon said in a statement. Simon confirmed that the tour has still not been able to speak directly with Peng.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday night, Simon dismissed the reassurances about Peng’s safety from the I.O.C. and its longest-serving member, Richard W. Pound, who said this week that the “unanimous opinion” of top Olympic officials was that Peng was “fine.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/02/sports/tennis/peng-shuai-ioc-china.html