Andrea Petkovic addresses IOC President Bach in the Shuai Peng case: "No comment required"
In the case of tennis player Peng Shuai, who has since disappeared, calls for an Olympic boycott are growing louder. The criticism of the IOC is growing - Andrea Petkovic and Jan-Lennard Struff also comment.
by SID / tennisnet
last edit: Nov 29, 2021, 11:47 am
Peng Shuai has reappeared - but that doesn't mean the mysterious case of the Chinese tennis player has been resolved. The WTA continues to press for clarification and threatens to withdraw from China, calls for a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games in Beijing are getting louder - and the International Olympic Committee, headed by President Thomas Bach, is coming under increasing pressure.
"What can I say about that? It seems so obvious. The Winter Games are taking place in China, he is the first to speak to Peng Shuai, I think that doesn't need any comment," said German tennis player Andrea Petkovic in an interview with Frankfurt Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) on IOC boss Bach and his role in the case.
After the disappearance of 35-year-old Peng, who had alleged sexual abuse by former Chinese Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli (75) in the Twitter-like medium Weibo earlier this month, Bach was silent for days. A week ago he then had a video call with the athlete, who, according to the IOC, is doing well. There was no word on the allegations made by Peng.
Not only the human rights organization Human Rights Watch reacted indignantly, the athletes in Germany also criticize the IOC's actions.
The Order of the Ring runs the risk of "legitimizing the systematic reprisals against unpleasant people in China and thus becoming a collaborator with the Chinese government," said spokesman Maximilian Klein.
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"IOC complicit"
According to the sports association Global Athlete, the IOC has shown no willingness to provide information and is therefore "complicit in the malicious propaganda of the Chinese authorities".
This is one of the reasons why politicians from the coalition parties of the future federal government are calling for a diplomatic boycott of the winter games in Beijing. "We should call the Olympic Games in 2022 what they are: a propaganda show with the participation of the IOC and its sponsors," said Erhard Grundl, sports policy spokesman for the Greens in the Bundestag, the FAS. No German politician should "take part in this propaganda show".
WTA boss Steve Simon: "deeply concerned"
The WTA players' organization continues to urge clarification in the case. WTA boss Steve Simon was "still deeply concerned that Peng is not free from censorship or coercion," said a spokeswoman for the AFP news agency.
Simon sent Peng two emails, "their answers were clearly influenced by others". It remains unclear whether Peng is free and whether she can really make her own decisions.
The WTA had threatened to withdraw its tournaments from the Middle Kingdom if the case was not cleared up transparently and comprehensively. "I have to praise the tennis organization," said Petkovic: "The WTA really has something to lose: Almost 30 percent of its income comes from China."
The fact that Chinese state media publish pictures and video clips of the resurfaced athlete hardly reassures Petkovic. "I would like someone from the WTA to speak to Peng Shuai," said the 34-year-old. She hopes the case will "be investigated and taken to court." But Petkovic also knows: "I'm in a fantasy world."
Struff: "No problem not playing in China anymore"
Jan-Lennard Struff also spoke about a possible withdrawal of men's tournaments from China at the Davis Cup in Innsbruck. "I'm being completely honest about that. As a men's player on the ATP tour, I would have no problem if we no longer fly to China and play there," said the 31-year-old in the SPOX interview: "I don't necessarily have to go there. But the whole subject is extremely explosive and difficult for us to grasp. "
The whole thing is also an issue within the German team. "It's all madness, blatant and violent. We definitely exchanged ideas about it," said Struff: "As a professional tennis player, you didn't think it was possible, but it happened. As a German team, of course, we hope that it will she is fine and safe. "