All round support to Safe Sports Code by Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS)

We are all out to support the introduction of the Safe Sports Code by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) which covers the rights and welfare of our country’s athletes and sports community. The code which was officially launched by our Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Puan Hannah Yeoh on March 16 will serve as a guideline for a safe sports environment that emphasises the roles and responsibilities of all parties in dealing with any form of harassment and abuse.

I was also invited to represent Sarawak in the signing ceremony by all youth and sports Exco from various states who gave their full support towards the good initiative which is the way forward for the Malaysian sports fraternity to develop further.

It could also strengthen the aspect of integrity in the governance of sports bodies and the national sports ecosystem as a whole. Apart from that, the code defines the types of misconduct that occur in sports based on international guidelines as well as local laws. Such move would increase the public’s knowledge and awareness of harassment and abuse in sports.

The defined roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders such as athletes, coaches, sports bodies, parents and sports-related organisations are included as well as existing reporting mechanisms that all relevant individuals can use.

The code covers the procedures to be adopted to handle complaints about harassment and abuse in the sports industry, in place of the Safe Sports Act, which will be introduced in the future. It will apply to all sports tournaments including this year’s Malaysia School Sports Council (MSSM) tournament which starts on July 15.

The code is to ensure a safe ecosystem for children to play sports and a more binding space in the context of ensuring they are protected including from sexual harassment, bullying, grooming and so on. It is based on the Olympics code which includes aspects of ethics, protection, the role of parents and the sports community as well as access to lodge complaints involving sexual harassment and bullying incidents.