IOC confirms having had further talks with Peng Shuai

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has been talking to Olympic officials since the Beijing Winter Games and hopes to travel to Europe soon, IOC President Thomas Bach said.

The aftermath of Peng’s allegations last November that she was sexually assaulted by a Chinese Communist Party official has been a serious distraction for Olympic organizers. And his interview with a French journalist in Beijing to retract his own claims, and subsequent visits to attend Olympic events where medals were awarded, including with Bach, did not dispel all doubts about his personal safety.

A hashtag on social media “Where is Peng Shuai?” continues to circulate since February.

Asked about Peng’s well-being during an online press conference, Bach revealed that a phone call Peng had with members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission this month was a “second or third contact with her since the Olympics.

“She is looking forward to being able to come to Europe and visit Lausanne, in particular apparently the Olympic Museum, mentioned the IOC leader. Then maybe also watch one or the other tennis tournament. »

Bach noted that China’s strict public health and quarantine policies during the COVID-19 pandemic could complicate Peng’s travel plans.

“We have to see how it evolves. Contact, as we have always said, is ongoing,” he said.

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