The International Olympic Committee has conceded it can't beryllium definite Peng Shuai is safe, contempt holding 2 video calls with the Chinese tennis star.
Peng hasn't been seen successful much than a month, aft utilizing societal media to impeach a erstwhile high-ranking Chinese authoritative of intersexual assault.
Her lone interaction with the extracurricular satellite has been 2 video calls with IOC brag Thomas Bach.
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The enigma surrounding her information has resulted successful the WTA announcing it volition not signifier tournaments successful China successful 2022.
The IOC has been nether occurrence for its handling of the affair, with Beijing owed to big the Winter Olympics successful February.
No transcripts of the calls betwixt Peng and Bach person been released, which has done small to quell fears that the 35-year-old is being detained successful immoderate capacity.
"We can't supply you with implicit certainty connected anything," IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said.
"All we tin bash is bash the champion we tin successful the process that we judge is successful the champion interests of the wellbeing of the athlete.
"We can't springiness assurances and we don't cognize the afloat facts."
Earlier this week, quality rights lawyer Teng Biao said the concern is wholly unacceptable.
"Of course, Peng Shuai is not safe," helium told CNN.
"What we cognize is she's inactive live and she's inactive successful China. But she is decidedly not safe, not good and she's wholly controlled by the Chinese authorities.
"And cipher knows wherever she is being detained."
The ITF, which runs the World Tennis Tour, 1 level beneath the WTA and ATP Tours, confirmed overnight it volition not docket a tourney successful China successful 2022.
In 2019, the past afloat play earlier the COVID-19 pandemic, China hosted astir 40 tournaments.
The ITF's stance places unit connected the ATP to denote a akin boycott, bringing them into enactment with the WTA.
Earlier this week ATP brag Andrea Gaudenzi released a connection that has been wide panned for the information it doesn't specifically notation China.
"The concern involving Peng Shuai continues to rise superior concerns wrong and beyond our sport," it said.
"The effect to those concerns has truthful acold fallen short. We volition proceed to consult with our members and show immoderate developments arsenic this contented evolves."
Former satellite No.1 Andy Roddick said it was a cleanable illustration of "how to accidental a batch of words and accidental nothing."
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