Win or lose, we’re all in this together!
National diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri reacted to all the negative comments against national athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Photo via New Straits Times
The 22-year-old, who is on the quest for her first Olympic medal in Tokyo, said that national athletes need Malaysians’ support, especially when they are down.
Recalling the preparations she made for the Games, no thanks to the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said that like others, athletes too, have made many sacrifices especially when being cooped up in a sports bubble to prevent them from being infected by the virus.
“These abusive netizens think we do not want to do our best, but they don’t realise that we have been training and preparing for this our whole life. They only criticise us based on what they see on the TV,” she told BERNAMA.
Malaysian chef de mission Datuk Lee Chong Wei also took to his Instagram to express his dismay at the negative comments hurled by netizens towards our national shuttlers, following their defeat in the group stage at the Tokyo Games.
Among those who received backlash online were Rio 2016 silver medallists Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, who failed to advance to the mixed doubles quarter-finals after suffering two straight defeats in Group D.
Dhabitah added, “I respect Datuk Lee Chong Wei for standing up for us.”
The Kuala Lumpur-born diver, who also won gold at the Asian Diving Cup 2019, hoped that Malaysians, especially sports fans, would support the national team during the good and bad times.
Nur Dhabitah will begin her Tokyo Olympic challenge in the women’s 3m springboard individual event this Friday (July 30th)!
Please stop the online abuse and be kind, Malaysians!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
