PETALING JAYA: Former Olympians have lashed out at the persistent sexualisation of female athletes (over the years), which have intensified now by social media platforms that more freely allow derogatory comments to disseminate.
Just a few days ago, a local news outlet chose to pixelate the body of Rio 2016 silver medallist Cheong Jun Hoong when including her picture in a story.
This was followed by negative comments about gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi’s attire which were shared in response to stories about her Olympic performances.
“Female athletes have long faced sexism, negative comments and gender inequality in sport,” former national swimmer Nurul Huda Abdullah told FMT.
Nurul, who competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, said this treatment was part of the reason she retired early from professional sport at the age of 18.
“The presence of social media nowadays has only exacerbated the issue to a greater degree.
“The amount of online harassment and abusive language experienced by our female athletes is appalling and alarming and many of them have experienced a decline in their mental health and well-being, resulting in many questioning their capabilities.”
She said that everyone in the sporting fraternity has a role to play in policing and stamping out this “appalling behaviour,” to protect the country’s athletes and continue the development of sport in Malaysia.
Hurdler Noraseela Mohd Khalid, who ran in the 2012 London Olympics and now heads the Malaysian Olympians Association said she struggles to understand the motivations behind those who choose to make inappropriate comments.
“It’s very hard to really grasp what exactly these comments are for. Most of the time, they are not to be taken seriously as most of the people making them aren’t actually contributing in this field and never really understood sport in general.
“Sport is for all people. Non-judgmental, no political agendas, and so on.”
Noraseela said that global sporting bodies such as the International Olympic Committee have already released guidelines to help safeguard athletes from harassment and abuse, so the onus falls on local authorities to put them into practice.
“We need to make sure our athletes know their rights, and they should be guided by the athletic commissions, sport associations and other stakeholders.
“Leaders can contribute so much to the matter, such as educating and bringing forward the right information to the public. Sport is a venue for solidarity and self-expression in a unique form that goes beyond the limits of one’s body, will and mind.”
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