[Epoch Times November 22, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Yun reported) Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai accused Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault that continued to ferment and triggered international boycotts of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The International Olympic Committee ( IOC) issued a statement stating that its chairman Bach had a video call with Peng Shuai. But the doubts of the outside world have not been eliminated.
IOC official website issued a statement (link) stating that on November 21st, IOC Chairman Thomas Bach, IOC Athletes Committee Chairman Emma Terho (Emma Terho) and IOC China Committee Member Li Lingwei, and three Chinese members Olympic athlete Peng Shuai made a video call.
The statement said, “During the 30-minute call, Peng Shuai thanked the International Olympic Committee for caring about her health,” and quoted Peng Shuai as saying that she is safe and hopes that her privacy will be respected. At the same time, she will continue to participate in the tennis sport she loves.
The statement also said, “At the end of the call, Bach invited Peng Shuai to have dinner with him after he arrived in Beijing in January next year, and she gladly accepted. The two also agreed to invite Telho and Li Lingwei to dinner together.”
The statement did not mention Peng Shuai’s allegations of sexual assault against Zhang Gaoli, nor did it publish a video of the conversation with Peng Shuai, only a photo of Bach and Peng’s meeting was published. In the photo, Peng Shuai is all smiles. He wears a white short-sleeved T-shirt in winter, similar to the “Recent Photo of Peng Shuai” posted on Twitter by Shen Shiwei, the responsible editor of CGTN.
IOC’s video photos raise more questions
However, IOC’s video photos did not eliminate the doubts of international public opinion.
The New York Times reported on the 22nd that this seemingly friendly chat and dinner plan did not satisfy Steve Simon, the president of the International Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). For more than a week, Simon has been trying to get independent contact with Peng Shuai, but without success.
Political and economic commentator Qin Peng tweeted: “This kind of call can only prove that Peng Shuai is still alive. It cannot prove that she is free. It cannot prove that the international community is most concerned: Can her allegations against Zhang Gaoli be fairly investigated? International pressure makes the CCP feel. Panic, I had to work overtime on weekends to try to change the prospect of a total boycott of the Winter Olympics by the world.”
Twitter friend “sylvia” said: “The WTA first came out to call Peng Shuai. The party should arrange for Peng Shuai to talk to WTA. Of course, they dare not, so they can only arrange for the Olympic Committee to call. After all, they are more related.”
Human Rights Watch China researcher Wang Yaqiu tweeted: The IOC’s call with Peng Shuai is disturbing on another level. The IOC is actively playing a role in the CCP’s enforced disappearance, coercion, and propaganda machinery.
Sheng Xue: Chairman of IOC is anxious about the CCP’s urgency
Chinese Canadian writer Sheng Xue told the Epoch Times reporter on the 22nd, “The current IOC chairman’s approach is that his entire position is on the same line as the CCP. At this critical moment, he is asking the international community about Peng Shuai’s whereabouts and asking for When the CCP held accountability, he appeared to be anxious about the CCP’s urgency. This approach will soon have a chain reaction.”
“More and more countries will realize that the position of the Olympic Committee is extremely unfavorable to the Olympics itself, and it sets a very bad example for the hosting of sports events throughout the world. I believe that the Olympic Committee will be more affected. More and more people’s doubts may force the Olympic Committee to reform its internal structure.”
Sheng Xue pointed out, “In the past few decades, the CCP has invested a lot of money and made great efforts to infiltrate organizations at all levels in the world, including the United Nations and many of its affiliated institutions, including the Olympic Committee. The penetration is very serious.”
The “Voice of Deutsche Welle” quoted Teng Biao, a Chinese human rights lawyer in the United States, as saying that the IOC has become a helper of the Chinese Communist government. In the past few weeks, many sports stars have supported Peng Shuai. In particular, the WTA’s attitude is very resolute. To cooperate with the CCP in a performance, their role is not neutral, and they are completely on the CCP’s side.
The international community pays attention to and supports Peng Shuai
After Peng Shuai posted a long article on Weibo on November 2 alleging that he was sexually assaulted by Zhang Gaoli, the former deputy prime minister of the Communist Party of China, he disappeared for a while, arousing the attention and solidarity of the international community.
Simon, the president of the International Women’s Tennis Association, issued a statement on the 14th calling on the CCP to investigate Peng Shuai’s allegations and said that if Peng Shuai’s problem cannot be resolved, the game will be withdrawn from China. Subsequently, the global sports world, the White House, the United Nations and others have all asked about Peng Shuai’s whereabouts.
Under the pressure of global attention to Peng Shuai, the Chinese Communist Party officially released a series of photos and videos, claiming that Peng Shuai is “very good”, but the allegations of Peng Shuai’s sexual assault on Zhang Gaoli are still blocked in China. The “very good” status of Peng Shuai published by the official media is limited to overseas social media.
Many media quoted Simon as saying that although he was very happy to see Peng Shuai’s image, he “still does not know whether Peng Shuai is free and whether he can make decisions and take actions on his own without coercion or external interference.”
Editor in charge: Fang Xiao#
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