Beijing Games 2022: Peng Shuai watches Eileen Gu win Olympic gold in freeski big air with IOC president

Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai watched the Beijing Games with International Olympic Committee, President Thomas Bach, as the American-born Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu won gold at the women’s big air event on Tuesday.

Peng, who could be seen in the stands wearing a black knit hat with the Olympic rings on them and a black coat with the Chinese flag, acknowledged a greeting from a journalist but declined to answer questions as she left the venue.

Bach said he and Peng spoke with athletes at the Big Air Shougang venue for about 30 minutes, and the pair were seen together in the stands. Bach said Peng told him that she was going into quarantine later Tuesday and planned to exit the closed Olympic coronavirus bubble. He was not sure if she planned to return for any more Olympic events.

A three-time Olympian, Peng’s presence during the Games had been a matter of speculation since the IOC said it planned to meet with her in Beijing. The IOC, which had said last week that Peng would meet with Bach inside the Olympic bubble, said previously that Peng had attended a curling competition.

The San Francisco-born Gu, China’s biggest star at the Games, said she was glad to hear of Peng’s presence on Tuesday. “I’m really grateful that she’s happy and healthy and out there doing her things again.”