Harold Hutchison
A senior official of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) claimed that tennis player Peng Shuai is “fine” despite her otherwise vanishing after accusing a senior Chinese government official of sexual assault.
Dick Pound, who has been a member of the IOC since 1978, said that the “unanimous conclusion” of the IOC members who allegedly spoke to her on Nov. 21 was that she was not in danger.
Peng vanished after her Nov. 2 post that accused former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli of assaulting her. Her post was deleted less than an hour after it went online.
Many professional tennis players demanded answers after the disappearance, including Naomi Osaka. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) demanded an investigation.
“There are lots of countries where you can’t easily leave the country. I think a lot of that is speculation,” Pound told CNN. “What we have is hard evidence as we can have and feel. These are people who have dealt with athletes and dealt with pressure. They can tell whether somebody is behaving under duress or not.”
Pound said that Peng “just asked that her privacy be respected for the time being.”
China has censored criticism of its practices in the past. After Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom criticized China for alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, Chinese streaming company Tencent stopped broadcasting Boston Celtics games.
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Someone named their kid Dick Pound.