Olympics committee has ‘no certainties’ to give in Peng Shuai case
- IOC answers first questions about the tennis star since the Women’s Tennis Association suspended all its tournaments in China
- Critics have claimed the Olympic body is enabling up a cover-up ahead of the Beijing Winter Games
The IOC’s two video calls with the grand slam doubles champion are the only reported contacts Peng has had with people outside China since November 2, when she sent a social media post alleging she was sexually assaulted by a former top Communist Party official.
Critics have claimed the IOC is enabling a cover-up by China ahead of the state-backed project to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.
“We can’t provide you with absolute certainty on anything,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “All we can do is do the best we can in the process that we believe is in the best interests of the well-being of the athlete.”
The Olympic body has repeatedly cited its policy of “quiet diplomacy” as the most likely to succeed with China, whose leader has met and spoken directly with IOC president Thomas Bach since Beijing was picked as host in 2015.
