Peng Shuai spotted at Olympic event with IOC president Thomas Bach by her side
ZHANGJIAKOU, China—As Eileen Gu won gold at the freeski big air competition at Beijing’s majestic new Big Air Shougang facility, she had a notable fan in attendance: Peng Shuai, the Chinese tennis star whose brief disappearance in November sparked worldwide concern and outcry.
Peng used the Chinese social media service Weibo to air what appeared to be allegations of sexual assault against a retired Chinese government official. Within a half-hour, the post had disappeared, and Peng vanished from public view for several days. She eventually showed up on video in staged appearances which did little to alleviate worldwide concern for her well-being.
Peng appeared Tuesday alongside IOC President Thomas Bach, who has been in contact with Peng multiple times over the past few months. The two had dinner Saturday night, and at the time, Peng indicated that she intended to attend Olympic events, according to the IOC.
The news of the IOC’s meeting with Peng was accompanied by the release of a story from French newspaper L’Equipe in which Peng denied that she had ever made any accusations and questioned why her absence had been called a “disappearance.” However, the questions were vetted beforehand, the interview was conducted entirely in Chinese — even though Peng is fluent in other languages — and the answers were relayed by a Chinese Olympic official.
Bach indicated after the event that he and Peng met with athletes for about 30 minutes, and that Peng would be going into quarantine to leave the Olympic bubble. It was unclear if Peng would attend any future Olympic events.
“I’m really happy she was here today,” Gu said. “It’s a big honor. I’m grateful that she’s happy and healthy and out here doing her thing again.”
The symbolism of the moment was obvious: Gu, who left behind the permissive world of the West to compete for China, and Peng, who found that Chinese culture has no tolerance for any complaint that strays from the official narrative.
