A DRAFT of the Safe Sport Act to address sexual harassment involving athletes will be ready by December, said Youth and Sports Minister Faizal Azumu in a written parliamentary reply to Rohani Abdul Karim (Batang Lupar-GPS).

Rohani was inquiring about the steps taken by the ministry to address allegations of sexual harassment towards its athletes and how it plans on monitoring the training and programme of the athletes to prevent the misconduct from occurring.

The minister said the Safe Sport Act could be a guideline to stakeholders in addressing the issue of sexual harassment among sportspersons.

“This act will be able to protect all parties involved in sports,” he said.

Faizal said the ministry would also create a safe sport complaint unit that will be staffed by an NGO representative.

“This unit functions to receive and manage complaints immediately and conduct advocacy programmes as well as manage sexual harassment issues with athletes and sports enthusiasts,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ministry would also make amendments to the Second and Third Schedules, Act Sports Development 1997 (Act 576), by including the elements of safe sport in the constitution of all sports bodies that will ensure sexual harassment matters are addressed and managed effectively by each sports body.

He said this amendment is expected to take effect by July this year.

In June last year, national swimmer and five-time world champion Cindy Ong revealed how she had been sexually harassed as a teenager by a national coach.

She recounted tales of how the coach had inappropriately touched her on several occasions and made non-consensual sexual advances on her.

Other national athletes have also come forward to reveal harrowing sexual abuse cases in the industry and have been active in promoting a safer sports environment for all athletes. – March 24, 2022.