The guardians of sports in Malaysia have been urged to quickly embrace sport integrity or continue to be rocked by unethical practices that will ultimately hinder the progress of the industry.
Sports Law Association (SLAM) president, Sri Sarguna Raj, said that the stakeholders in the Southeast Asian nation know of the importance of sport integrity, but were not practicing it completely.
“We still have problems like match-fixing, doping, biases, betting, and gambling. In fact, safe sport is also an issue … we are not creating enough safe sporting environments,” said Sri Sarguna, a partner at the Kuala Lumpur-based law firm of Christopher & Lee Ong.
“They (the stakeholders) should be motivated to improve the sports ecosystem in Malaysia. If the (youth and sports) minister is strong enough to advocate for sport integrity, create awareness on the subject … this will push the others to do the same, and eventually, uphold the principles.”
He added that it all boiled down to awareness and education.
“If there’s enough push, at all levels – not just at the associations – then we can truly say that we are nearing our goals for a safer environment that upholds integrity.”
The sports scene in Malaysia has been rocked by several scandals in recent times. Two winning weightlifters tested positive for banned substances while competing in the 2022 Malaysia Games. Professional footballers and coaches not receiving their salaries is a common grievance, while some athletes have complained of lopsided contracts and unsafe sporting environments.
“Professionalism seems to be just a buzzword, a gimmick (in Malaysia). The way certain people do things, it’s just not professional. There’s no meaning to the term itself,” he said.
Sri Sarguna shared his views about sport integrity in conjunction with the on-going Sport Integrity Week 2023 (SIW2023) organised by Geneva-based Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA).
SIW2023, which started on Sept 2, features a host of initiatives worldwide, including an ‘Integrity Game’ football match that was played at the iconic Morumbi Stadium in Brazil on Sept 4.
Twentytwo13 is SIGA’s sole permanent media partner from Asia.
Sri Sarguna admitted that certain quarters feared the consequences of speaking out, thus, were ‘forced’ to accept the injustice.
“I think there is fear… they (victims and whistleblowers) don’t want the unnecessary spotlight. If a person who believes he or she has been victimised decides to speak out, or go straight to the press, there will be consequences.”
He also said it was important for athletes, and even officials, to engage in some form of legal representation to ensure that their interests are protected.
“Some people think lawyers are expensive. Some just lack awareness about legal representation. They think that just by signing up with an association, for example, that their interests are protected.
“Some are also afraid to ask their associations to amend certain clauses in a contract with the association, or with a third party, believing that they will be ignored. It could be a ‘take it or leave it’ situation.”
Sri Sarguna, who also sits on a panel that hears doping cases in the country, pointed out that the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (Adamas) often carries out talks and workshops, educating athletes on the dangers of banned substances.
“But are they (the participants) really listening? Is it due to poor concentration, or a failure to understand the consequences, that they end up not complying? Some have also shown a tendency of wanting to cheat.”
He added that the participants, including seasoned athletes, must take note of what is being delivered in such workshops, and not pull out the victim card when they are caught.
