KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey player Hanis Nadiah Onn has been suspended and will not be representing the squad after she left a racist comment against attendees of a recent AR Rahman concert.
She will also not be considered to represent the national squad for the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, the Youth and Sports Ministry said in a statement.
The 26-year-old player was summoned by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) and National Sports Council (NSC) to question the remarks she made during the concert at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium on January 28.
During the inquiry, Hanis admitted that she had uploaded the comment saying, “the smell must be great in there”, which landed her in hot water among netizens.
She also insisted that she did not have any racial sentiments when the comment was made and was just a joke referring to the stadium’s condition that was filled with thousands of spectators.
“Only after being called out by netizens did she realise there was a racial element,” the statement said.
The player then deleted the comment on January 29 and has since publicly apologised through social media, insisting that she is not a racist and grew up in a pluralistic society in Kluang, Johor and has many Indian friends as she is a national athlete.
The investigation committee also called in national women’s hockey team head coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim, who said Hais as the team’s main player has a humble character and is highly disciplined throughout training and tournaments.
“She also has many hockey friends who are Indians, and they get along without any problems because of her easy-going nature with teammates,” he said.
However, the investigation committee concluded that Hanis had uploaded the racist comment and was directed at a concert that was attended by the majority of Indians.
The committee found that Hanis was guilty of making statements or comments publicly on social media that intended to insult another party, while making comments that could cause misunderstanding and anger others.
As a hockey player, she was also found guilty by MHC for having made comments that caused damage to the team and MHC’s image, violating MHC’s code of ethics.
“MHC will re-evaluate this decision if Hanis exhibits a positive change in attitude during her suspension.
“The committee hopes that this action will serve as a useful reminder and lesson to Hanis and all national athletes to always be careful of posts or comments made on social media,” the statement read. – The Vibes, February 9, 2023
