“She was among the athletes, and I had the opportunity to meet with a number of athletes from Switzerland and from Germany and the US,” he said at Big Air Shougang, the distinctive urban venue built on the site of a former steel mill.

“She was sitting there and we had the opportunity to talk and now she has to go to the quarantine, she told me – she will leave the closed loop.”

The well-being of Peng, a three-time Olympian, became a matter of global concern when she appeared to allege on social media in November that a former Chinese vice-premier, Zhang Gaoli, had sexually assaulted her in the past.

The Women’s Tennis Association, which suspended its tournaments in China following Peng’s post, said on Monday that Peng’s denial of making the accusation had done little to address concerns about her safety.

The San Francisco-born Gu, China’s biggest star at the Games, said she was glad to hear of Peng’s presence on Tuesday.

“It’s a big honour when athletes from different sports – you know, especially if more widely known sports like tennis – come paying attention to smaller sports like free skiing,” Gu said. “I think it gives us an amazing platform to hopefully spread our small sport to the rest of the world.

“I’m really grateful that she’s happy and healthy and out there doing her things again.”