IOC member Dick Pound ‘puzzled’ by reaction to Peng Shuai video call
The video call comes after Peng, one of China’s most recognizable sports stars, publicly accused Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian reiterated that Peng’s accusation is not a diplomatic issue and declined to comment further. CNN has reached out to China’s State Council Information Office, which handles press inquiries for the central government. Zhang has kept a low profile and faded from public life since his retirement in 2018, and there is no public information relating to his current whereabouts.Before retiring as vice premier, Zhang was the head of a Chinese government’s working group for Beijing Games. In the role he inspected venue construction sites, visited athletes, unveiled official emblems, and held meetings to coordinate preparation work. Zhang had met with Bach, the IOC president who held a video call with Peng, on at least one occasion, with the two being photographed together in the Chinese capital in 2016.
