International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirms talks with Peng Shuai, meeting in person to be held in Beijing

The International Olympic Committee claims to have spoken with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai ahead of an arranged meeting with her in Beijing in February

Back in November, the two-time Grand Slam doubles champion took to social media site Weibo to make allegations against the country's former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli.

Peng, 36, claimed that he had "forced" her to have sexual relations with him, although the post was later deleted before she duly disappeared for around three weeks without a trace. She has since denied making the allegations altogether in an interview with Singapore media outlet Lianhe Zaobao, saying:

"I need to stress one point that is extremely important, I have never said or written that anyone has sexually assaulted me, I have to clearly stress this point."

The organization now confirmed they held further talks to ensure Peng was safe while also confirming that they will met her in person in Beijing next month. An IOC spokesperson said:

“Since the first call that the IOC held with Peng Shuai on November 21, 2021, the IOC team has kept in touch with her and had a number of conversations with her, the last one just the past week.”