Kisona in tears when asked about racist comment

 

S Kisona says the Uber Cup squad members will give their best and fight for victory. (Bernama pic)

AARHUS: National women’s singles shuttler S Kisona says the insensitive racist comment made against her on social media during the recent Sudirman Cup competition has affected her psychologically and eventually hurt her performance.

However, the 23-year-old Seremban-born lass is determined to put the incident behind her and focus on the Uber Cup opening round match against hosts Denmark tomorrow as she takes on the role of first singles for Malaysia.

“Obviously (it affected me) because, in the end, I am human too … Somehow, I need to shift my focus to my upcoming match. So, I’ll leave it to my family, BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) and the relevant authorities to resolve the issue,” she said after the team’s second official training session at the Ceres Arena here today.

Asked about the same issue by another media member moments later, Kisona burst into tears.

Meanwhile, on the match tomorrow when she is likely to take on world No 12 Mia Blichfeldt, world No 53 Kisona said she and her teammates are ready to fight till the end despite having to face higher-ranked opponents.

“This will be my second Uber Cup campaign after the 2018 Bangkok edition. So far, I am comfortable with the venue and the weather (despite it dipping below 10 degrees Celcius at times). Of course, I want to play better than I did at the Sudirman Cup and I don’t want to play down my chances although my opponent is better.

“I feel that our Uber Cup squad members have their own strengths, We just lack experience. We will give it our best and fight for victory. We are not here to lose,” she said.

The racist comment against Kisona on social media was made by a politician after her defeat by world No 5 Akane Yamaguchi during the Malaysia-Japan Sudirman Cup semifinal clash on Oct 2.

Meanwhile, BAM coaching director Wong Choong Hann said BAM, her teammates and the whole nation are behind Kisona and will continue to provide her with moral support.

“I believe there will always be unfortunate incidents like this in everyone’s life, but I believe Kisona, as a professional athlete, can overcome it and learn from it,” he said.

BAM president Norza Zakaria said the case was very much an isolated one because, in general, Malaysians appreciate the sacrifices and contributions of national athletes for the country.

“I think sensitive and racial issues like this should never happen at all in our country’s sports under the concept of Malaysian family. We should be more appreciative of their efforts as they continue to boldly face challenges despite playing in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. - FMT