Malaysian youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh was slammed online after she posted pictures that she had taken with a Thai badminton player who beat a Malaysian shuttler in the Paris Olympics semi-finals.
Posted on 6 Aug, the post was criticised for being insensitive as well as unfitting, considering that the minister was celebrating a rival.
In the post, the Malaysian minister congratulated the Thai shuttler, 23-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who bested Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the semi-finals.
Kunlavut went on to snag the silver medal in the badminton men’s singles competition, after losing to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, while Lee won the bronze medal after defeating Indian player Lakshya Sen.
Source: @hannahyeoh on Instagram
“I enjoy his style of badminton so much. So calm and collected. He has a new fan in me!” the minister said in her post.
Prior to this, Ms Yeo had also made two posts congratulating the Malaysian badminton players who obtained medals. These include the aforementioned Lee, as well as Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik who bagged bronze in the badminton men’s doubles competition.
The post drew brickbats from the online community, attracting more than 1,300 comments — more than the two posts featuring the Malaysian players combined.
Most commenters criticised her for being tone deaf and unpatriotic.
One lambasted her for posting about an athlete from another country while on official duty.
Source: @hannahyeoh on Instagram
“If you want to be a fan, don’t come there with the title of minister. Wear your own clothes, buy your own tickets, and buy your own meals,” one commenter said.
Source: @hannahyeoh on Instagram
One commenter even suggested that Thailand take Ms Yeoh as their sports minister instead.
Source: @hannahyeoh on Instagram
Meanwhile, some commenters defended the minister, saying that she had fully supported Lee during the match.
Another also said Ms Yeoh showed grace, and her post celebrates sportsmanship and friendship.
Earlier this week, Lee also made headlines following his win when he teared up and spoke about the pressures he had been facing.
The athlete, who is known for his smash, at times faced criticism from the Malaysian media.
One television commenter even cheered for Lee’s opponent when he was playing against Spain’s Pablo Abian during the qualifying rounds of the Paris Olympics.
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Featured image adapted from @hannahyeoh on Instagram.
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