WTA says Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai's video call with Olympic chief is not enough
Peng Shuai, Thomas Bach
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai`s video call with the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not address or alleviate the Women`s Tennis Association`s (WTA) concern about her well-being, the WTA said on Monday.
The whereabouts of Peng, a former doubles world number one, became a matter of international concern nearly three weeks ago, after she alleged that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her.
She appeared at a dinner with friends on Saturday and a children`s tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, photographs and videos published by Chinese state media journalists and by the tournament`s organisers show. But they have done little to quell concerns.
"It was good to see Peng Shuai in recent videos, but they don`t alleviate or address the WTA`s concern about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion," a WTA spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Asked about the call with the IOC, the spokeswoman said: "This video does not change our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern."
The IOC said in a statement that Peng held a 30-minute call with its president Thomas Bach on Sunday during which she said she was safe and well at home in Beijing, and wanted to have her privacy respected for now.
The concern over Peng comes as global rights groups and others have called for a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February over China`s human rights record. The WTA has also threatened to pull tournaments out of China over the matter.
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