Malaysian swimmer Cindy Ong breaks taboo by accusing coach of sexual abuse
- Ong said she felt powerless to stop the coach with the national team, who was about 15 years older than her
- ‘It was just a different era, and it was not possible to speak up. I didn’t tell my parents, I didn’t tell my friends,’ she said
Cindy Ong’s story is the latest to cast a harsh spotlight on physical and sexual abuse in sport, and follows a litany of complaints from fellow swimmers, gymnasts and ice-skaters.
But her move to go public is a particularly rare and difficult one in a country where social conservatism often discourages people from speaking out.
Now 37, she said the abuse began with the coach inappropriately touching her in her early teens. He also harassed her several years later after she returned from studying overseas.
“A lot of grooming went on over the years,” said Ong, who remains a successful swimmer, winning five gold and two silver medals at the 2019 FINA World Masters Championship in South Korea. “He made me think that he was interested in me. He said things like, ‘I will wait for you’.”
Ong said she felt powerless to stop the coach with the national team, who was about 15 years older than her. Reporting him to sports authorities or the police did not cross her mind.
