WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott released the below statement after L’Equipe, in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), published a highly controlled interview with the Chinese tennis player, Peng Shuai. In the interview, which was conducted in the presence of a Chinese official who translated Peng’s answers, Peng announced her retirement from professional tennis and denied that she had previously claimed she was sexually assault by a former Vice Premier of the Chinese government.

Last week, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Mark Warner introduced a introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the Chinese Communist Party to guarantee the safety and freedom of tennis star Peng Shuai, and rebuking the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its failure to clearly and forcefully challenge the Chinese Communist Party’s claims about Peng Shuai’s safety. A companion resolution unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2021.

Senator Rick Scott said, “The IOC is doing the bidding of Communist China and helping to cover up its gross mistreatment and abuse of Peng Shuai. Instead of following the lead of the Women’s Tennis Association and calling for a complete and transparent investigation into Peng’s claims, securing her safety and stopping future athletic competition in Communist China, the IOC is an active participant in her oppression. The Senate must take action right now by passing this bipartisan resolution, which has already unanimously passed the House, to condemn the IOC's disgusting appeasement and make clear that the United States will not tolerate these horrific abuses.”

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