KUALA LUMPUR – Safe Sport Malaysia founding president Sarina Sundara Rajah is hopeful that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh would continue to champion the Safe Sport Act.
Efforts to get the act tabled in Parliament were first mooted by Hannah’s predecessor Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
Speaking to The Vibes, Sarina said she has faith in the Segambut MP following her vocal support in pushing for the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill to be enacted.
“I hope Hannah can champion Safe Sport Act, women in sports as well as grassroots development because I truly believe that all of these will benefit the community as a whole,” she said in an interview recently.
“Abuse and sexual harassment are only a fraction of what the Safe Sport Act is all about, but in a nutshell, Safe Sport is about optimising the sporting experience for everyone.
“We need to have a safe and inclusive as well as welcoming environment that is governed transparently and with accountability for the safety of our athletes.”
Faizal’s plan to table the Safe Sport Act in Parliament was cut short due to Parliament’s dissolution on October 10.
But he said he had worked on a Safe Sport Code of Conduct instead with the National Sports Council to complement the act.
Sarina, who is also a former national rhythmic gymnast, however, said that the code has several unexplored ideas that should be looked into.
“There are flaws when it comes to the mechanism and the structures in place.
“I realise we already have different policies and the Sports Development Act, but that should not be our limitation because we can make amendments to ensure the Safe Sport Act will work in tandem with the Safe Sport Code of Conduct and the Safe Sport Centre.
“I know this would not be easy, but it is vital we do this right at the very beginning because when it comes to who is running it and how will it run will potentially affect someone’s career, livelihood, and reputation in the future.”
Recently, Youth and Sports Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan said that findings on abuse and harassment involving sportsmen were “scary” and they will be able to assist the ministry in implementing the Safe Sport Act.
As such, Commonwealth gold medallist Sarina said she hopes that Hannah would urgently address the issues to provide confidence in the athletes.
“It would be interesting to see how she steers the ministry forward with her experience and expertise coming from a woman’s ministry paired with her legal background.
“So, I hope she will engage with the sports community at large and understand them.” – The Vibes, December 5, 2022
