Peng Shuai held private meeting with Olympic committee chief in Beijing

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) met in Beijing this weekend with Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis player who accused an official of sexual abuse before largely disappearing from public life.

In a statement, the IOC said it’s president, Thomas Bach, met in person with Peng Shuai “on Saturday over dinner at the Olympic Club in Beijing.”

“Peng Shuai spoke of her disappointment at not being able to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In this context, she also shared her intention to travel to Europe when the COVID-19 pandemic is over,” the IOC said, noting that Peng had accepted an invitation to Lausanne, Switzerland to visit the IOC and The Olympic Museum.

The statement also said that Peng would remain in touch with Kirsty Coventry, an IOC member who was also present at the meeting — adding that the two attended a mixed doubles curling match between China and Norway together.  

In a November post on her Weibo account, Peng accused Zhang Gaoli, a former Chinese vice premier, of sexual assault.

After that post, she disappeared for almost three weeks from the public’s view and garnered global concern before Chinese state media began releasing photos of her online. She later issued a statement withdrawing the accusation. 

Bach has previously been asked about the possibility of an investigation into the tennis player’s claims and had said he would reach out to Peng about whether she wanted the inquiry.

“It must be her decision,” he said at the time. “It’s her life. It’s her allegations.”

The IOC’s latest statement said that any further details about their discussion during their meeting would be shared at Peng’s discretion.