THE Youth and Sports Ministry does not condone any form of racism, deputy minister Adam Adli Abd Halim said, in reference to a national female hockey player who recently made a racist remark on social media.

Adam, who is also PKR Youth chief, said despite racial and religious differences among Malaysians, the “magic” of sports and food is what unites us.

“Sports is something that unites everyone, regardless of racial or religious backgrounds.

“We will always use sports and food to unite Malaysians, so we do not condone any form of racism,” Adam told The Malaysian Insight.

The Hang Tuah Jaya MP said sports is an ecosystem that should be free from racism.

“Our national teams, be it hockey, football, or others, always consist of (players of) different races.

“I hope we always preserve this (unity),” he said.

National hockey player Hanis Nadiah Onn left a racist comment on an Instagram post about attendees of an A.R. Rahman concert held in Kuala Lumpur recently.

After realising her comment (“Must smell nice in there”) had gone viral and sparked outrage, she posted an apology on her Instagram page.

“I, Hanis Nadiah Onn, a national hockey player, with humility and responsibility would like to apologise for deliberately posting a comment on 28 January 2023,” she said in the post.

The 26-year-old player who helped Malaysia win gold medals at the 2015 and 2017 SEA Games said she realised the comment had offended many parties, and that she had deleted it. 

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh had asked the National Sports Council to investigate the hockey player. 

The Malaysian Hockey Confederation said its disciplinary committee will call in Hanis as part of its investigation. 

“The findings of the inquiry will be submitted to Yeoh for her further action,” it said.

Adam said the ministry cannot rush the matter and make drastic decisions.

He said due process has to be followed before an appropriate decision is made. 

“It has come to our attention. Give it time as we have our procedure to follow. We will definitely address it,” he said. – February 2, 2023.