NY Times · Nov 19, 2021
The Question the I.O.C. Is Too Weak to Ask
Where is Peng Shuai?
That’s the question the International Olympic Committee and its president, Thomas Bach, should be shouting right now — loud, demanding, and aimed squarely at the leadership in China, set to host the Beijing Games in February.
But instead of firm demands, we’re hearing not much more than faint, servile whispers from Olympic leadership.
Peng, 35, a Chinese tennis star and three-time Olympian, has been missing since Nov. 2, when she used social media to accuse Zhang Gaoli, 75, a former vice premier of China, of sexually assaulting her at his home three years ago. She also described having had an on-and-off consensual relationship with Zhang.