SHAH ALAM - Former national gymnast and Safe Sport Malaysia founder Sarina Sundarah Rajah has called for robust frameworks to protect young athletes from tech-facilitated gender-based violence.
She emphasised the need for media education, strict screening of athletes' images and limiting young gymnasts' exposure to harmful online content.
Speaking about the challenges faced by athletes, especially young gymnasts, Sarina described the unique vulnerabilities they encounter due to the nature of the sport and the widespread use of media.
"Gymnastics often involves wearing tight outfits and many images end up in the media. Sometimes, these photos are not appropriate.
"I hope in the future, images of young athletes are screened by parents or federation officials before they are published," she said in a forum entitled "Breaking the Silence: Exploring the Impact of Sexual Harassment in Sports and Beyond" last Friday.
She also expressed concern about the growing online presence of young athletes, some as young as seven, on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
"There's a lot of harmful content that young girls are exposed to. While these platforms can be useful for athletes, I strongly believe there should be an age limit and clear boundaries for children at the grassroots level. Limiting their exposure to potentially damaging content is crucial," Sarina added.
Earlier, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has called for mandatory background checks and licensing regulations for sports coaches in response to two recent cases of sexual assault involving underage athletes.
"It’s important to make it compulsory for coaches to be properly licensed and that they commit to safe sports.
"We must also enforce background checks to ensure licensed coaches are free from prior misconduct and fit to work with youth athletes," she said.
She said this following the recent charges brought against two coaches accused of sexual abuse in separate incidents.
In Selangor, an archery coach was charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and pleaded not guilty. A football coach in Johor also pleaded not guilty to four charges of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old trainees.
Yeoh said these incidents highlighted the urgent need for systemic safeguards to protect athletes, emphasising that awareness alone was not enough.
She revealed that since the implementation of the Safe Sport Code in 2023, her ministry has received 49 reports of misconduct, including 19 cases involving personnel under the National Sports Council.