SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Peng Shuai (Chinese tennis star) did not meet with the President of the International Olympic Committee. The video conference was insufficient to address the concerns expressed by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which Peng Shuai raised about her health.

The whereabouts of former doubles world number one Peng have been a matter of international concern https://www.reuters.com/world/china/tennis-peng-shuai-appears-china-tennis-event-organiser-photos-show-2021-11-21 for nearly three weeks after she alleged that a former senior Chinese government official sexually assaulted her.

Photos and videos taken by Chinese journalists as well as the organizers of Sunday’s children’s tournament show that she was present at both a Saturday dinner and an appearance at friends’ on Saturday. They have not done much to alleviate concerns.

In an e-mail, a WTA spokesperson said that Peng Shuai was welcome to be seen in some recent videos. However, they do not address WTA’s concerns about Peng Shuai’s well-being or ability to communicate clearly without coercion or censorship.

When asked about her call with IOC, she stated that the video did not alter our demand for an independent, fair, and transparent investigation into her sexual assault allegation. This is what prompted our original concern.

According to the IOC, Peng spoke for 30 minutes with Thomas Bach and thanked him for his concern.

According to the IOC, “She stated she feels safe and sound, that her Beijing home is hers, but her privacy would be appreciated at this point.”

She prefers spending her time right now with family and friends. She will still be playing tennis, which she loves.

Peng is being questioned as global rights groups, among others, call for the boycott of February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing over China’s record on human rights. Over the issue, WTA threatened to withdraw tournaments from China.

Peng wrote on Chinese social networks on November 2nd that Zhang Gaoli was her ex-vice-premier and had forced Peng to have sex. Later, they had an ongoing consensual relationship. This post was deleted quickly and it has been removed from the discussion section of China’s highly censored internet.

Peng’s claims have not been commented upon by Zhang or the Chinese government.

On Sunday, France’s foreign minister urged China to allow Peng to speak out publicly.

Jean-Yves Le Drian said, “I expect only one thing. That she speaks.” He added that diplomatic consequences could occur if China does not address the issue. The IOC statement was not commented on by his office immediately.

Britain and the United States have both called on China to prove Peng’s location.

Current and former tennis players, including Naomi Osaka https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1460723353174433793, Serena Williams https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1461408866697105413 and Billie Jean King https://twitter.com/BillieJeanKing/status/1459985672715046913, joined the calls seeking to confirm she was safe, using the social media hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai?

Novak Djokovic is the No.1 singles player in men’s tennis and said that it would not be normal to host tournaments there unless China has a solution for its “horrific”.