PETALING JAYA: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has urged badminton players who receive extreme threats on social media to not only lodge police reports but also report the matter to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for further action.
Her advice came in response to a statement issued by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) on Monday condemning individuals who left abusive and threatening messages towards players on social media following recent defeats.
Although BAM did not reveal the names of the affected players in order to protect their privacy, social media comments clearly showed that some users had targeted and issued threats against the country’s top men’s doubles pair, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, using fake accounts.
Hannah urged the players and BAM to report such incidents so that stern action can be taken by the authorities.
“For athletes, they can’t avoid online criticism because their careers depend heavily on performance. When they win, they are celebrated, and when they lose, they are criticised — that’s normal.
“But when the criticism turns into threats, especially those involving safety or harm to life, I urge them to lodge police reports so that both the police and MCMC can investigate.
“The most important thing for our athletes, and something I always remind them before and after competitions, is to avoid reading social media comments if possible. It can be very hurtful because, as we know, there are both real and fake accounts out there,” she said.
At the moment, Aaron-Wooi Yik and several other national players are still competing at the Hylo Open in Saarbrucken.
