The Chinese tennis star had a 30-minute video call with the head of the International Olympic Committee, but the head of women's professional tennis was still unable to contact her.

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Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai disappeared from public life for more than a week after accusing a former senior government official of sexual assault. Sunday.

This video alleviated people's concerns about Peng's health. However, since the Chinese government began trying to review any discussion of the allegations against Peng and she has largely disappeared after being posted on a Chinese website, tennis officials have been unable to establish independent contact with Peng, which has not met the requirements. Earlier this month, major social media created a confrontation between two of the world's leading sports organizations.

35-year-old Peng is a three-time Olympian and has been missing since November 2 when she used social media to accuse former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, 75, of sexually assaulting her at home three years ago. She also described the intermittent consent relationship with Zhang You.

According to the International Olympic Committee, Peng had a 30-minute conversation with Thomas Bach, the chairman of the organization and a former Olympic fencer. In a statement posted on the IOC website with a photo of the phone call, the organization stated that Peng said, “She is safe and lives in her home in Beijing, but at this time she hopes her privacy will be respected. That’s why She now prefers to spend time with friends and family."

According to an Olympic official, a friend of Peng’s helped her learn English, even though Peng was fluent in English during her 15-year professional tennis career.

Emma Teho, chairman of the IOC Athletes Committee who participated in the conference call, said she was very pleased to see Peng seemed safe. "She looks relaxed," Teho said. "I provided her with support and kept in touch with her whenever it was convenient for her. She obviously thanked her for that."

Peng disappeared after allegations and placed the International Olympic Committee under the microscope. Beijing is the site of the February Winter Olympics. Officials and top sports figures have asked the International Olympic Committee to pressure the Chinese government to ensure her safety and her ability to openly discuss allegations of sexual assault.

As China suppressed the dissent of Internet company Alibaba founder Jack Ma and other well-known cultural and business people, and suppressed democratic protests in Hong Kong and Tibet and their treatment, the International Olympic Committee faced severe criticism of the Muslim minority for hosting the Olympic Games in Beijing— -Deemed as genocide by lawmakers in the United States and several countries.

According to the statement of the International Olympic Committee, Bach invited Peng to dinner when he arrived in Beijing to participate in the Olympics, including Terho and IOC member and official of the Chinese Tennis Federation Li Lingwei, who also participated in the conference call.

However, seemingly friendly jokes and dinner plans did not satisfy WTA Tour CEO Steve Simon. For more than a week, Simon has been trying to establish independent contact with Peng, but to no avail, as the Chinese government-controlled media entity released a series of her photos and videos, Simon's criticism of the Chinese government has become increasingly sharp.

In a Sunday statement after the release of the IOC video, spokespersons for WTA and Simon said: “It’s great to see Peng Shuai in the latest video, but they have not alleviated or addressed WTA’s concerns about her health and whether it’s not. The ability to communicate under censorship or coercion. The video did not change our request for a full, fair and transparent investigation of her allegations of sexual assault, without censorship. This was our initial concern."

Although several senior sports representatives Peng delivered speeches and raised the question of "Where is Peng Shuai" that has been circulating online in recent weeks, only Simon made it clear that if the government does this, his organization will not be held in China. Any event. She is not allowed to move freely, talk publicly about the allegations of assaults, and investigate incidents.

This move may cost hundreds of millions of dollars in the loss of Chinese women’s professional tennis, but in a letter to the Chinese ambassador to the United States on Friday, Simon reiterated the organization’s position. He stated that if he cannot guarantee the safety of Chinese tennis players, WTA will not be able to continue to hold nine events in China, including the famous tour finals scheduled to be held in Shenzhen in 2028.

The Men’s Professional Tour also requires Peng’s safety, but does not threaten to stop hosting tournaments in China. China is widely regarded as a major growth market for all sports, but for anyone doing business with an increasingly authoritarian government, All are major moral hazards.

“Money is better than everything,” said Martina Navratilova, a former champion and tennis commentator, who defected to the United States at the age of 18 to escape communism in Czechoslovakia.

Navratilova is one of several tennis leaders and government leaders representing Peng. As the chorus became louder and louder last week, Chinese media began to release clips of Peng in an attempt to convince the skeptical public that she was okay.

Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the influential Communist Party newspaper Global Times, posted a video clip of her at a restaurant in Beijing on her Twitter account. Hu Xijin described the video showing Peng having dinner with her coach and friends on Saturday.

A few hours later, Hu released another video describing it as the opening ceremony of the finals of the youth tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday. Peng "appeared" and then another signature tennis of hers and a photo with the children. Souvenir.

On Friday, a reporter from another Chinese media organization posted a photo of Peng, who is said to be in a bedroom surrounded by plush toys. In these photos, Peng looks younger than her most recent photos, and there is nothing to prove.

These posts were made after the Chinese state-owned broadcasting company released a message allegedly sent by her.

"Hello everyone, this is Peng Shuai," it said. It said the sexual assault allegations made a few weeks ago were untrue. "I am not missing, nor insecure," the message said. "I have been resting at home and everything is fine. Thank you again for your concern for me."

It is generally believed that this information was written by someone other than Peng.