[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 837 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 837
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
International Olympic Committee failed to adhere to its own human
rights commitments.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 3, 2021
Ms. Wexton (for herself and Mr. Waltz) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
International Olympic Committee failed to adhere to its own human
rights commitments.
Whereas, on November 2, 2021, 3-time Olympian Peng Shuai went missing after she
said in a since-deleted post on Chinese social media site Weibo that she
had been sexually assaulted and forced into a sexual relationship with
Zhang Gaoli, who was the Chinese Communist Party's Vice Premier from
2013 to 2018;
Whereas Chinese Communist Party authorities have imposed a media and internet
blackout of discussions of Peng's case, and the words ``tennis'' and the
surname ``Peng'' have been censored online within the People's Republic
of China;
Whereas, on November 14, 2021, after Peng had not been seen or heard from for 12
days, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) CEO Steve Simon requested a
``full and transparent'' investigation into Peng's allegations;
Whereas the hashtag ``#WhereIsPengShuai'' trended across social media worldwide,
with the exception of the People's Republic of China where it is
censored;
Whereas, on November 17, 2021, the WTA received a statement purporting to be
from Peng, recanting her abuse claim and saying ``everything is fine'';
Whereas, in response, WTA CEO Steve Simon said the response ``released today by
Chinese state media concerning Peng Shuai only raises my concerns as to
her safety and whereabouts'';
Whereas, in response, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a
statement that it was ``encouraged by assurance that she is safe'';
Whereas, on November 19 and 20, 2021, photos and videos of Peng appearing in her
home, in a restaurant, and at a youth tennis event in Beijing emerged on
Twitter accounts affiliated with government-run media, and at the same
time, Peng has not spoken directly with the media or the WTA;
Whereas, on November 19, 2021, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the
White House is ``deeply concerned'' over Peng's disappearance and seeks
``independent and verifiable proof'' of her location and condition;
Whereas, on November 19, 2021, Liz Throssell, the spokesperson of the United
Nations Human Rights office, told reporters ``. . . it would be
important to have proof of her whereabouts and wellbeing, and we would
urge that there be an investigation with full transparency into her
allegations of sexual assault'';
Whereas, on November 21, 2021, the IOC said in a statement that its President,
Thomas Bach, had a 30-minute video call with 3-time Olympian Peng Shuai,
joined by a Chinese sports official and an IOC official;
Whereas the statement said that, during the call, Peng appeared to be ``doing
fine'' and ``relaxed'', and said she ``would like to have her privacy
respected'';
Whereas the IOC did not explain how the video call with Peng had been organized,
given the difficulties other concerned parties have had reaching her;
Whereas, on November 30, 2021, IOC official Dick Pound in an interview with CNN
defended the Chinese Government's handling of the situation and said the
``unanimous conclusion'' by IOC officials on the call is that Peng Shuai
is ``fine'';
Whereas the annual report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for
2020 finds that gender-based violence in the People's Republic of China
remains a serious issue, and highly publicized cases of sexual assault
continue to surface;
Whereas the IOC's acquiescence to the Chinese Communist Party regarding Peng's
sexual assault allegations and safety concerns diminish global demands
for the Chinese Communist Party to investigate Peng's allegations
through a transparent and comprehensive process;
Whereas the role of IOC leadership in collaborating with Chinese Communist Party
officials to cover up Peng Shuai's allegations of sexual assault and
disappearance call into question the organization's ability and
willingness to hold abusers accountable and protect athletes
participating in the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing; and
Whereas the IOC has provided the Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022
Olympic and Paralympic Games, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party,
approximately $890,00,000 ``to ease the financial burden on the host
cities'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) by cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party, the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) failed to adhere to its
own human rights commitments and protect the free speech of
Olympic athletes;
(2) the IOC has once again failed to protect athletes from
sexual abuse and harassment, and should publicly commit to hold
sexual violence abusers accountable;
(3) the IOC's conduct undermines the efforts by the United
States Government, human rights organizations, the Women's
Tennis Association, and other international bodies and
individuals to secure Peng Shuai's safety; and
(4) in an effort to regain lost public confidence, the IOC
should call on the Chinese Communist Party to--
(A) open an independent and transparent
investigation into Peng's allegations;
(B) publicly commit to hold sexual violence abusers
accountable;
(C) cease all censorship of reporting and
discussions of Peng's case; and
(D) allow Peng to leave the People's Republic of
China if she so desires, and not retaliate against
family members remaining in the People's Republic of
China.
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