In the world of sports, winning and losing are inevitable. The Olympics, a global celebration of athleticism and unity, brings countries together for their shared love of sports.
Photo via Utusan Malaysia
While supporting your home country is natural, it’s equally important to accept defeat with grace and maintain respect for athletes from all nations.
Recently, a concerning incident unfolded involving Malaysian national track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom during the 2024 Paris Olympics. After a collision with Japanese rider Shinji Nakano on the track, Shah Firdaus was relegated, resulting in a 6th-place finish. This led to an unfortunate wave of cyberbullying directed at Shinji Nakano by some Malaysian fans.
Shah Firdaus has since spoken out against cyberbullying, expressing his disappointment and frustration with the actions of his fellow Malaysians.
In an interview with Berita Harian, Shah Firdaus shared that Shinji Nakano had reached out to him, expressing his surprise at the negative comments flooding his social media accounts. Shinji’s message left Shah Firdaus feeling embarrassed and guilty about the actions of Malaysian netizens.
“He messaged me saying he was getting attacked on his social media accounts. I didn’t even know. When I checked, there were already tens of thousands of comments. I hope netizens stop this because it affects us too. The collision did happen, there was ‘body contact’ and that is normal in keirin,” said Shah Firdaus.
He further explained that the collision was not intentional and that such incidents are common in the sport. The backlash against Shinji, however, has left Shah Firdaus feeling deeply uncomfortable, especially since the two athletes share a friendship.
“Normally in Keirin, there is ‘body contact’ and such. It’s just that from the eyes of the audience, it looks like he did it on purpose, but of course, everybody wants to win, so there are no grudges whatsoever. What hurt me was that he thought Malaysians were nice because I am friends with him. If I travel to Japan, he will take me sightseeing.
Adding to the confusion, a TikTok account claiming to be Shinji’s shared an apology to Malaysians following the cyberbullying. However, Shah Firdaus clarified that this account does not belong to Shinji and that the apology was not genuine. The account was a fan-made creation, which has since been deleted.
“That’s not his TikTok account, he told me. We met after the race. That TikTok account, it’s by people who create stories. But, me and him, we’re fine. We don’t have any problems with each other,” Shah Firdaus confirmed.
This incident serves as a stark reminder that cyberbullying is never acceptable, and misinformation can exacerbate an already delicate situation. While passion for sports is commendable, it should never justify harmful behaviour toward others.
Cyberbullying has real consequences, affecting both the victims and the reputation of those involved. As Malaysians, we should strive to uphold the values of respect, kindness, and sportsmanship, both online and offline.
Let’s be the kind and supportive nation we are known to be and show the world that we can handle both victory and defeat with grace!
