KUALA LUMPUR – Although the former Melaka volleyball coach who was caught slapping two of his 14-year-old players last month has had his coaching license revoked, those advocating for a safer sporting environment believe action should also be taken against those who simply stood by and did nothing.
The Malaysian Volleyball Association had announced that the coach, Saiful Hadee Amar, had had his coaching license revoked and will also be banned from being a coach for the sport as well as from coaching any students.
Michele Verroken, founding director of sports business consultancy Sporting Integrity, said that it is important to name those who are responsible for turning a blind eye on matters of abuse.
“Naming those in positions of responsibility, particularly where cases of historic abuse or corruption are identified, is the only way to break the cycle of the incompetence of wilful blindness being exploited in sport to further other agendas,” she told The Vibes.
Michele added that the cycle of inaction enabling abuse happens due to the fact that positions of power are often held by those incapable of acting, as they only focus on performance and winning.
“Too often, power in organisations lies in the hands of the most untrustworthy, perpetuating a culture of inaction, through the promotion of narrow agendas of winning and success as the only priority,” she added.
At the same time, Safe Sport Malaysia founding president Sarina Sundara Rajah said that other team officials present during the incident should also have action taken against them.
“The other coach, who was physically present during the abuse, failed to stop the perpetrator.
“Targeting only the perpetrator leaves enablers in positions of power, allowing future abuse to continue,” she said.
Sarina said this has everything to do with an institutional culture that allows these individuals to escape accountability for their actions and, sometimes, inaction.
“The system is part of the problem.
“Abuse in sports is widely accepted as a systemic problem. But studies have found that many instances of abuse are unreported due to sports’ structural and cultural processes that operate to perpetuate a culture of inaction,” she added.
The former Commonwealth gold medallist also said that recent findings from a survey commissioned by the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Institute for Youth Research Malaysia revealed the magnitude of the situation, with the ministry’s former secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan stating that it was “scary”.
“Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish a Safe Sport Act, because current legislation is insufficient to ensure comprehensive protection for all stakeholders in sports,” Sarina added.
The slapping incident took place during the 2022 Malaysia Youth U14 Volleyball Championship in Johor on December 16 at a third-and fourth-placing match for the girls category between Melaka and Johor. – The Vibes, January 21, 2023
