To the International Olympic Committee, Peng Shuai's allegation that a high-ranking Chinese politician coerced her into sex has been "the issue," and "a personal question," and "this very difficult moment of her life."
It's "this case," and "any problem that she might have," and "her situation."
On Wednesday, at IOC president Thomas Bach's first news conference since Peng's allegation, it was the "fragile situation Peng Shuai is in."
It has never, explicitly, been a sexual assault allegation. Bach and other IOC officials continued this week to avoid any mention of it. Rights groups and athlete advocates have criticized this evasiveness.