KUALA LUMPUR – Recent sexual harassment allegations made by former national swimmer Cindy Ong have heightened concerns among parents whose children are in sporting programmes.
Although sexual harassment in sports is widely reported in the West, such as in the United States, some parents said Ong’s reveal is shocking as it cuts too close to home.
They are also wary of having their names and pictures published when asked for comments.
Chin Harn, the parent of a 6-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy, not only coaches them, but has also enrolled one of them for Ong’s online fitness class.
“I’m disgusted by the male coaches who take advantage of their female students.
“Although my children are being trained at home now, we need to educate our children on how they should react in such situations. If and when we decide to send them for classes, I’m considering sending my kids for self-defence classes.
“We cannot tolerate the ‘monsters’ in the industry and allow cases like these to restrict our children from sports and fulfilling their dreams. There needs to be safety nets for our children to feel safe reporting any wrongdoing.”
Meanwhile, Marcus, a father of two daughters who are elite swimmers, said Ong’s revelations came as a shock, despite previous allegations of sexual harassment in Malaysian aquatics and diving.
His daughters, aged 10 and 12, are state champions.
“We always teach our daughters the importance of ‘safe touch’, and they have witnessed instances where their previous swim club had a groomer in action, so they are aware of this.
“There are always parents looking out for the kids and I am present most of the time during their training sessions,” said Marcus.
Meanwhile, a man who only wanted to be known as Fred applauded Ong’s bravery in coming forward.
“First of all, I’m in awe of Cindy’s bravery in speaking about this topic so openly as it is so important to bring awareness to this to prevent it from happening in the future.
“It is a shame that, on top of everything, she faces trolls and even more sexual harassment on social media. This has to stop.”
Fred’s sons play ice hockey in the Junior 18 (J18) and Youth 16 (U16) categories, as well as golf.
“My boys are aware that, if anything like this were to happen, it is never their fault. It is important to talk about these things and for children to feel safe talking to adults openly about such issues without shame or guilt.
“It is important to remember that there are so many great coaches who care and will do anything for their students’ success,” added Fred.
The Vibes had yesterday reported that Ong’s alleged harasser is still offering private swim lessons, although he is no longer a national coach.
“He is actually someone who is quite successful in the sports industry and quite looked up to. He is more of an authoritative figure in the industry.
“He is no longer coaching on the national team. It’s a private (centre).”
Prior to that, she had spoken extensively about her traumatic experience and alleged that the coach had touched her breast during her early teens during one of her competitions abroad.
Ong, who hails from Ipoh, Perak, had recently disclosed more details of her alleged experience with the same coach years later when she was in her 20s.
“He definitely tried to rape me,” she had said. – The Vibes, June 25, 2021
