KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are "utterly appalled" by the racist comment made against national women's singles shuttler S. Kisona on social media, describing it as a "dreadful remark".
In a statement today, BAM said that as the governing body of the sport in the country, they have zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and, thus, condemned the remarks, adding that they will always stand up for the national players.
"Such a dreadful remark is uncalled for, and we urge all Malaysians to condemn this senseless act.
"BAM will continue to fight for the eradication of racism in sports, especially in the realm of badminton. We continue to uphold all initiatives that support progressive and inclusive nation-building," said the statement.
The racist remark was made against world number 53 Kisona on social media after her defeat by world number five Akane Yamaguchi during the Malaysia-Japan Sudirman Cup semi-final clash yesterday.
Malaysia lost 1-3 to Japan, with Yamaguchi trouncing Kisona 21-7, 21-5 in 26 minutes.
Despite their exit from the tournament in Vantaa, Finland, Malaysia's young squad had actually surpassed the quarter-final target set by the BAM.
The Malaysian shuttlers will now compete in the 2021 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark from Oct 9-17. Malaysia are in Group D with Japan, England and Canada in the Thomas Cup; and in Group D with China, Denmark and Canada for the Uber Cup. - Bernama