Chinese language tennis superstar Peng Shuai met with World Olympic Committee leader Thomas Bach and can attend a couple of occasions at Iciness Olympics 2022 over the process the following few days, the iOC mentioned in a observation on Monday, February 7 at the same time as issues over her well-being are dominating headlines.
The IOC mentioned Peng additionally attended the China-Norway Olympic curling fit with IOC member Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and that the Chinese language tennis participant has expressed her hobby to commute to Europe as soon as the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions ease out.
The well-being of Peng, a three-time Olympian, turned into a question of world worry when she looked as if it would allege on social media {that a} former Chinese language vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her previously.
“The IOC President had a face-to-face assembly with Peng Shuai. He was once joined via the previous Chair of the Athletes’ Fee and IOC member Kirsty Coventry. The assembly came about on Saturday over dinner on the Olympic Membership in Beijing,” the IOC mentioned in a observation.
“Peng Shuai knowledgeable the President that she would attend a number of occasions on the Olympic Iciness Video games Beijing 2022 over the approaching days.
“Later that night, she and Kirsty Coventry attended the combined curling fit between China and Norway.
“All through the dinner, the 3 spoke about their commonplace revel in as athletes on the Olympic Video games, and Peng Shuai spoke of her unhappiness at now not with the ability to qualify for the Olympic Video games Tokyo 2020.
“On this context, she additionally shared her purpose to commute to Europe when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and the IOC President invited her to Lausanne to talk over with the IOC and The Olympic Museum, to proceed the dialog on their Olympic stories. Peng Shuai accredited this invitation.”
In her now-deleted publish on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, Peng had written “why did you are taking me to your home and pressure me into having family members with you?”, despite the fact that she additionally described the connection with Zhang as an on-off one who was once additionally consensual. The publish and her following absence from social media and public appearances ended in issues and the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation additionally suspended tournaments in China.
Dialogue of the scandal has been closely censored in China’s tightly managed our on-line world and searches for Peng’s identify on Weibo proceed to turn no fresh seek effects.
Peng has now not up to date her Weibo account for the reason that publish was once got rid of.
PENG SHUAI REITERATES STAND ON MAKING ALLEGATIONS
Peng informed French paper L’Equipe all the way through an interview previous this week that her social media publish had brought about a “large false impression”, repeating feedback reported via a Singapore media outlet in December, and that she didn’t need “any more media hype” about it.
“I would like to mention that emotions, sports activities and politics are 3 very distinct issues. My lovelife issues, my non-public existence will have to now not be mingled with sports activities and politics,” she was once quoted as pronouncing.
“And sports activities will have to now not be politicised as a result of when that occurs, more often than not it method turning one’s again at the Olympic spirit and it is going towards the desire of the wearing international and the athletes.”
The interview was once carried out in Chinese language and translated into English via a Chinese language Olympic professional all the way through the interview, in addition to an interpreter based totally in Paris, mentioned the paper.
Questions had been submitted prematurely, and the paper agreed to put up Peng’s responses with out remark, it mentioned.
Peng, pictured dressed in a pink tracksuit most sensible with the characters for China on it, additionally sought to allay fears over her protection, pronouncing her existence since November have been “not anything particular”. She denied she had “disappeared” after the furore when she was once now not noticed in public for weeks.