When athletes are being threatened by persons of authorities

UP until November 2024, out of the 121 cases reported to the Malaysian Athlete, Career and Education (MACE) Unit at the National Sports Council (NSC) since the Safe Sports Code was launched almost two years ago, the bulk of it did not centre on allegations of sexual misconduct.

Speaking in the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Podcast recently, Melissa Mohd Akhir, Safe Sports Consultant at MACE, made a surprise revelation.

The lawyer disclosed that a majority of the cases centred on abuse of power by persons of authority in matters relating to selection of athletes.

“The athletes were told that they would be dropped if they were to report any form of favouritism, misconduct or wrongdoings to the authorities.

“In short, they are often being threatened that if they do it, their career is finished,” said Melissa in the podcast which also featured OCM vice-president, Datuk Mumtaz Jaffar.

Parents, inevitably, would be put under pressure as well and most of the time they are forced to make a choice.

Safe Sport is more than a mere catchphrase. It is a pledge to uphold the principle of Safe Sport for any individual to perform, enjoy and play in a fun and safe environment.

With the introduction of the Safe Sports Code, the idea is for everyone to embrace sports as a joyful expression of life.

Melissa is keen to collaborate with OCM on the education front, suggesting a series of workshops to enlighten the athletes, coaches and officials on ways to contribute to a conducive environment for safe sport.

“We need to equip our athletes with the mental strength not only to compete but also to provide the technique for them to confront the external pressures in the form of bullying or any form of abuse,” she said.

Although there is always the threat of conflicts of interest due to the lack of independence and power imbalances, the Code is designed to protect the whistleblowers.

But of course the advocates of Safe Sports must also be given the necessary support.

Unlike Singapore that has the Singapore Safe Sports Commission that maintain a 100-over secretariat staff responsible for the administration of the Safe Sport Unified Code and the Safe Sport Programme through their policy and research, training and education and case management functions, MACE has only Melissa and another safeguarding officer to handle cases.

Although there have been calls for the governance structure to be fully detached from sport bodies to ensure no actual or perceived conflict of interest, Melissa’s effort under MACE is a start.

According to the Safe Sports Code guidelines, the fraternity needs to recognise misconduct in the form of:

# Sexual harassment: Unwanted comments, gestures, or actions that make you uncomfortable.

#Psychological misconduct: Bullying, threats, or neglect that target your mental well-being.

# Physical misconduct: Harmful actions like hitting or using objects to intimidate or injure you.

# Bullying and harassment: Repeated actions that make you feel threatened or humiliated.

#Sexual grooming: Manipulative behaviour designed to build inappropriate trust and relationships.

Under the guideline is the mechanism for reporting, which is key to the Code, those who come forward to report abuse must not be confronted with fear of retribution.

Melissa believes the Code allows recording and investigating cases and taking necessary actions, including punitive measures if required, with the names of the whistleblowers being withheld.

“They are protected under the privacy guidelines.”

In the fight against abuse, the existing laws are in place. Justice must prevail, and the law must be a stronghold for those in need.

“Since the Code was launched in 2023, we noticed a pattern. Initially we received reports on allegations of sexual abuse on schoolgirls. Then, the reports centred on allegations against coaches on abuse and molestation.

“The third pattern we saw was abuse across genders, bullying, neglect and spurning, where athletes were boycotted for various reasons and abused verbally in public,” said Melissa.