Is the safe sports code attainable, realistic or will it be too idealistic?

LARRY Nassar – this name may not ring a bell to most Malaysians but google him and you will cringe when you realise he was the former doctor of the USA gymnastics team who pleaded guilty to charges of criminal sexual conduct in 2018.

More than 100 gymnasts came forward with harrowing testimony at the sentencing hearing for Nassar. Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simon Biles accused gymnastics officials and authorities of turning a blind eye and the entire system enabled and perpetuated his abuse.

Then an explosive book launched in 2021 exposes some of the dark secrets surrounding the life of Nadia Comaneci, the first gymnast to score a perfect 10 in her routine at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Drawing on declassified communist police files, historian Stejarel Olaru lifts the lid on the torture the Olympic legend suffered at home while enjoying worldwide applause outside Romania.

The book reveals coach Bela Karolyi alleged horrific abuse of his charges. Undoubtedly, many influential and successful coaches like Karolyi gain a Svengali-like hold over both the athletes they train and their superiors they report to, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Malaysia has not been spared of keeping skeletons in our closet. But true to Malaysian form, they remained kept in the cupboards.

Proponents of safe sports, like former national rhythmic gymnast Sarina Sundarajah, have been pushing for the Safe Sports Act but the Youth and Sports Ministry is likely to proceed with the Safe Sports Code.

Question is, who will be enforcing the Code? Will it be left to the National Sports Council (NSC), already burdened by the pressure to deliver medals at the Olympics level, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), as the umbrella body, or the Sports Commissioner’s Office?

Mind you, the OCM have been an advocate of safe sports for umpteen years.

On paper, the OCM are committed to creating a safe environment for athletes where they can train and compete in healthy and supportive surroundings, an environment which is respectful, equitable and free from all forms of harassment and abuse.

In their website, the OCM clearly outlined what constitutes harassment and abuse including race, religion, colour, creed, ethnic origin, physical attributes, gender, sexual orientation, age disability, socio-economic status and athletic ability.

The OCM compel an athlete to sign the Code of Ethics whenever they report for centralised camps ahead of any major multi-sports Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have shown the way by introducing the Safeguarding Framework, which consists of a set of guidelines that includes education and the presence of IOC Safeguarding Officers for all editions of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. They act as the go-to person for support and report for immediate follow-up.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is expected to announce the Safe Sports Code this year, an idea initiated by Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu while in office, which would compel the national sports associations to adhere to it.

Expected to be modelled after the Singapore Safe Sports Code, it will serve to look into preventive measures to safeguard athletes, coaches and other participants.

While Singapore established The Safe Sport Commission as the secretariat in partnership with Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Police Force and Ministry of Education to update, it remains to be seen if a similar set-up is established in Malaysia to develop and execute policies on education, training, accreditation and case management.

Today’s landscape is athlete-centred and coach-driven. Naturally coaches by equal measure must also be covered by the Code. They ought to be given protection from irrational, meddlesome parents and abusive officials.

The Code should also establish the parameters necessary to develop appropriate boundaries between all.

In the interim, the Ministry had taken action against volleyball coach Saiful Hadee Amar who has had his coaching credentials revoked by the volleyball governing body, MAVA, following the slapping incident on two of his charges.

Whether the code is attainable or too idealistic in today’s chaotic world, Malaysians should not be afraid to speak up against any form of abuse.