The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it has held a second video call with Peng Shuai amid ongoing concern about her safety, with a “personal meeting†planned for January.
Wednesday’s call came on the same day that the WTA announced it was suspending all its tournaments in China because of doubts that the 35-year-old was “free, safe and not subject to intimidationâ€.
Peng, bar an initial video call with IOC president Thomas Bach and a clip having dinner supplied by Chinese state media, has not been seen in public since accusations of sexual assault against former China vice-premier Zhang Gaoli.
But in a statement on Thursday, the IOC said: “We share the same concern as many other people and organisations about the wellbeing and safety of Peng Shuai. This is why yesterday an IOC team held another video call with her.
“We have offered her wide-ranging support, will stay in regular touch with her and have already agreed on a personal meeting in January.
“We are using ‘quiet diplomacy’ which, given the circumstances and based on the experience of governments and other organisations, is indicated to be the most promising way to proceed effectively in such humanitarian matters.â€
The WTA’s decision to pull out of its tournaments in China is likely to prove costly. In 2019, China hosted nine WTA tournaments with a total of £22.6million in prize money.
Despite it being to the obvious detriment of the WTA’s finances, men’s world No1 Novak Djokovic backed the “very bold and courageous†move.
He said: “I support fully the WTA’s stance because we don’t have enough information about Peng Shuai and her wellbeing.â€