KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Taekwondo Malaysia (TM) will wait till police have completed their investigations before taking any action over the alleged verbal abuse of a woman athlete by a national coach.
TM technical director R Dhanaraj, when contacted by Bernama today, said they would not interfere in the issue because police were currently investigating the matter.
He said police had taken statements from all the athletes who were at the scene of the incident and were expected to call up the coach soon.
“The coach has also lodged a police report against the athlete regarding the allegations,” he said.
Dhanaraj, who is TM secretary-general, said the issue should not be blown out of proportion as it was a simple misunderstanding between the athlete and coach, and was confident that they could resolve it professionally.
“If any party is found guilty, TM will take action against the individual. We also hope that other organisations or individuals will not simply speculate or comment about this issue as it is under investigation,” he said.
According to a post uploaded by the athlete’s sister, the coach had humiliated the exponent in front of her teammates during a meeting on the night of April 23, and threatened to drop her from the national squad.
A police report lodged against the coach by the athlete’s father also went viral and gained the attention of Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican yesterday, who ordered the National Sports Council (NSC) to take immediate action.
Yesterday, NSC director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the coach has been temporarily suspended from managing the team and was asked to vacate the athletes’ dormitory in Bukit Jalil to facilitate investigations. — Bernama
