KUALA LUMPUR – Former youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu applauded the effort by the ministry in launching the Safe Sport Code (SSC) under the leadership of his successor Hannah Yeoh, yesterday.
During his time at the Youth and Sports Ministry, Faizal intended to table a law dedicated to Safe Sport in Parliament before the end of his tenure. However, his plan was disrupted by the 15th general election.
Speaking to The Vibes, the Bersatu deputy president congratulated the ministry for continuing the good work.
“Implementation of the Safe Sport Code is the first step. We could only hope that the Safe Sport Act will follow suit to ensure the safety and welfare of athletes can be enforced with comprehensive laws.
“Nevertheless, I am glad that everything went well as the ministry implemented the Safe Sport Code.
“During my time as the sports minister, when I first met Sarina and her team, I was also aware that cases such as harassment and abuse within our sports industry are matters of grave concern, and it needed urgent attention,” he said.
Faizal noted that the launch of the code was a huge milestone for the country to achieve.
“This (SSC) should not only be for elite athletes, but also for the grassroots, college sports and everyone involved in sports in general.
“We need to break the cycle of mistreatment within our sports institutions, if not who else is going to do it?”
The Safe Sport advocacy work started with former national rhythmic gymnast Sarina Sundara Rajah in 2019.
About three years later, she founded Safe Sport Malaysia (SSM) with founding members, including Kathini Mohan as the deputy president, Irene Wong as the treasurer, Football Association of Malaysia exco member Christopher Raj as the secretary, and criminal lawyer Shamsul Sulaiman as assistant secretary.
Media personalities Freda Liu and Datuk Yasmin Yusuff are also involved as committee members.
Sarina told The Vibes that the launch of the code, which is effective immediately, honours the courage of survivors and advocates who spoke out to expose abuse within the sports institutions, often at high personal cost.
She noted that it is important to shine a light on the struggle of the athletes being disregarded and mistreated by the system.
“Their bravery has allowed us to understand what we must do to keep our athletes safe.
“We must also acknowledge the many victims and survivors who have not spoken of their abuse. Your silence speaks volumes for a variety of reasons,” she said.
Sarina also revealed that she was happy to see that her effort under the SSM has attracted the need for increased protection within the sports industry.
“The Safe Sport Code is an essential building block towards Safe Sport. It offers a stepping stone to reducing the poor treatment of athletes.
“This instrument is necessary but intended to incorporate the implementation of legal and independent oversight.
“Accordingly, the Safe Sport Act and a Safe Sport Centre must accompany it.”
Moving forward, she hopes all sports stakeholders would continue to come together to encourage engagement and solidarity across the country.
“As a government and a community, we must start fulfilling our responsibilities to make sports safer. Our athletes deserve nothing less.
“The pursuit of Safe Sport in Malaysia is a journey characterised by many challenges.
“Therefore, we need to acknowledge the people who were brave enough to think that things can change,” she added. – The Vibes, March 16, 2023
