KUALA LUMPUR – What is the point of implementing the Safe Sports Act if the system within the sports industry is out of whack, said Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria in reference to the law to formally charge perpetrators of sexual misconduct.
In a recent interview with The Vibes, Norza said unless standard operating procedures (SOPs) are overhauled at the working level, imposing legal deterrents or penalties will not hinder such disgraceful actions from taking place.
He suggested, for starters, all coaches and administrators should be thoroughly screened before being hired by the National Sports Council (NSC), adding that this will help eliminate potential predators from the sporting community by identifying alleged perpetrators from the onset.
“NSC needs to ensure that all hired candidates possess integrity and have credibility to be in the national level set-up. Only then will issues, such as sexual harassment or discrimination of any kind, be eradicated from the system. If not, it will amount to a witch-hunting process.”
Secondly, he said the system and the process needs to be fair on all counts, not just for victims of sexual harassment, but for alleged perpetrators as well.
“If we are able to fix the system first before implementing the Safe Sports Act, we would be able to eradicate sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in the sports industry.”
Norza said the OCM has a regulatory template, which acts as a safety net for athletes in matters pertaining to sexual harassment, from the International Olympic Council (IOC).
“The Youth and Sports Ministry should discuss with us first to get (proper) feedback. And there needs to be a clear process for all parties concerned.
“Lay it down in a way that people would understand − do consultations, workshops.”
At the same time, even as the number of athletes coming forward with sexual harassment allegations has risen of late, decisive action cannot be taken unless an independent body is set up to conduct investigations in a fair and impartial manner.
Despite efforts by the NSC to establish an independent committee to handle such cases, it is evident that athletes find it difficult to make a formal report of their grievances with the respective body due to trust issues.
Norza suggested that NSC and the Ministry should create an institution like Adamas − which had been established to handle anti-doping cases in sport − with independent members brought in to sit on the investigative panel and adjudicate on harassment cases to ensure all parties involved receive fair treatment.
“If you are concerned about doping and have Adamas, then do the same for the rising number of harassment cases recently.
“Get professionals to run it and have relevant authorities be part of that institution. Nobody from the system should sit on the panel,” said Norza.
This year saw many sexual harassment cases come to light after former national swimmer Cindy Ong open the can of worms when she revealed about her experience of being a victim during her time as a swimmer.
Following to this, national diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong also burst on twitter of her bitter experience of being a victim of bully by her coach in her early days in the national set-up.
Recently, The Vibes found a cryptic message on social media by former national bowler Syaidatul Afifah, which stated that she was also a victim of this disgusting act. − The Vibes, December 30, 2021
Additional reporting by Julie Jalaluddin
