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'Sexy' sports attire may lead to promiscuity among athletes

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Several Malaysian lawmakers think "sexy" sports attire may lead to promiscuity among athletes, reported The Star.

Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid of Malaysia's People's Justice Party raised the issue in Parliament as a reproach to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on the current dressing worn by athletes in certain sports.

In June, Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi caused social media outrage after winning gold at the SEA Games in Singapore when her attire for the competition was subjected to criticism.

Critics condemned her for her skin-tight leotard which showed the shaped of her body and did not cover her "aurat" (shape of the body/ private areas).

Expressing fears the outfits worn may lead to promiscuity among the athletes, Mr Mohamad Imran said in parliament: "You may score marks on the international sports arena but you will not score marks in the afterlife."

Two other MPS, Ms Siti Zailah Muhd Yusoff and Mr NIk Abduh Nik Aziz of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party ,also joined in, wanting to know if the outfits worn by national athletes would be syariah-compliant for at least to or three categories.

At a press conference after the SEA Games in Singapore, Mr Khairy had said he held the principle that it is up to the athlete on what he or she wants to wear as long as the attire is "regulation approved by the federation, by the sport".

“I think this whole incident also smacks of sexism. Nobody has complained about … kinky Speedos, or Sazali (Samad) wearing tight shorts when he flexes his muscles but when it comes to gymnasts, suddenly it’s a big problem.

"I think there’s a lot of hypocrisy going around here and I don’t tolerate it. I don’t care what people say. This is sports. Leave sports alone."

In parliament, the minister mentioned there were no reported cases of promiscuity among the national athletes due to their attire and that the national women's netball team had already changed their outfits to be less revealing.

Sources: The Star, Channel News Asia

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