Athlete Deutschland, an independent elite sports organization in Germany, joins the crowd that does not think the IOC's handling of the Peng Shuai case has been sufficient.
The organization wants the IOC, which had two video calls with the tennis player who disappeared without a trace for three weeks after accusing a member of the Chinese Communist Party of sexually abusing her, to prove that Shuai is safe and allowed to speak freely.
According to Athlete Deutschland, the IOC has not "provided any evidence that the former world set in doubles is actually safe, or any information about whether she can express herself, free from censorship".
Requires independent investigation
The concern is that the IOC, by saying that it has talked to Shuai, is helping the Chinese regime in its attempts to silence the issue ahead of the Beijing Olympics in February.
Therefore, it is required that an independent investigation of the case is made - to ensure the safety of athletes before the Winter Olympics in February.
The IOC has chosen not to comment on the organization's appeal.
The international women's tennis organization WTA has stopped all planned competitions in China due to the case.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF), in turn, claims to stand up for women's rights, but allows activities in the country to continue because it does not want to "punish a billion" people for what happened.