The video conference between Olympic leaders and Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, whose almost three-week disappearance in public sparked an uproar, aimed to reassure the world that she was safe. But instead it raised more questions.
Concern grew over the past week over the former top doubles player – who had not been seen since accusing a senior Chinese official of sexual assault on Nov. 2. Tennis stars and fans alike have called for #WhereIsPengShuai (#WhereIsPengShuai), and the WTA president has threatened to withdraw lucrative tournaments from China.
On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee revealed that Peng had spoken with officials, including its president, Thomas Bach, during a 30-minute video conference from Beijing. According to the agency’s statement, she assured them she was fine and thanked them for caring about her – while also asking for her privacy.
The IOC posted a photo that shows Bach facing a screen Peng appears on, but has not shown a video of the conversation. The same day, the Chinese Omnium posted videos and photos of its presence at a junior tennis tournament in Beijing that morning.
The IOC’s brief statement, which offered few details and no reference to its allegations, seems unlikely to calm things down on Peng’s case – and criticism is mounting of the IOC, which was already doing so. in the face of calls to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will open on February 4.
Even after the statement was released on Sunday, the WTA reiterated what Chairman and CEO Steve Simon had been saying for over a week, demanding a full, fair and transparent “no censorship” investigation.
The IOC was already under pressure to hold the Games amid allegations that China committed human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans and other minorities. China denies the charges.
“We are firmly opposed to any words and acts that politicize sport in violation of the Olympic spirit,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Monday, when asked about a possible boycott.
Now, some critics claim that the IOC’s handling of the call with Peng makes him an active partner in delivering Beijing’s message – while failing to provide Peng with an open forum to discuss his allegations.
Yaqiu Wang, spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, tweeted that the IOC “actively plays a role in the Chinese government’s enforced disappearance, coercion and propaganda devices. “
Asked about the criticism, the IOC defended in a statement that the main purpose of the appeal was to find out how Peng was doing and that she “was very clear in confirming that she was safe and healthy. “.
She agreed to keep in touch with Olympic officials – including having dinner with Bach in Beijing in January – and the organization added that it had told her she could get in touch anytime she “deemed it.” appropriate “. The IOC added that in order to respect Peng’s privacy, he would not comment further.
This is the second time this year that the IOC has found itself in the spotlight on the Olympic Games file: many wanted the body to cancel the Summer Games in Tokyo over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Critics note that the IOC has an interest in hosting these events as it generates 91% of its income from sponsorships and the sale of broadcast rights.
Peng is just one of many Chinese business people, activists and ordinary people who have disappeared in recent years after criticizing party figures or as part of cracking down on corruption or campaigning for it. democracy and labor rights.
While the ruling Communist Party is quick to erase all criticism, the fact that it came this time from an athlete made her particularly sensitive. State media are celebrating the victories of the athletes as proof that the party is making China stronger – and the party is doing everything to ensure that they cannot use their notoriety and popularity with the public to erode its picture.
The tennis player accused former member of the ruling Communist Party’s Standing Committee, Zhang Gaoli, of sexual assault in a social media post that was quickly deleted.
Concerns about the censorship of his post and its subsequent disappearance from the public sphere have caused consternation, prompting comments from big tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova.
All the while, information about his allegations has been withheld in China. CNN reported that its signal in China was blocked while reporting on Peng.
A search of her name Monday on Weibo, one of China’s leading social media platforms, produced only a few posts, and none referring to the allegation of sexual assault or questions about her plight.
Journalist Graham Dunbar contributed to this article from Geneva