Hannah Yeoh Claps Back at Netizens Who Slammed Her for Taking Pic with Thai Badminton Medallist

As you probably know, he beat Lee Zii Jia in the semi-finals 21-14, 21-15, and the latter went on to win bronze. On 7 August, Yeoh posted, “Congratulations @kunlavut.v for winning silver in Paris 2024. I enjoy his style of badminton so much. He is so calm and collected. He has a new fan in me!”

Many netizens slammed her in the comments, writing, “Sportsmanship and patriotism should be in every leader. (But) the timing is just not right, and the photo is out of place (maybe you can keep it to yourself?). The sentiment is just not right.”

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“If you want to be a fan, don’t go there with the title of a minister. Wear your own clothes, buy your own ticket, and pay for your own food and lodging,” said another.

One said, “Aiyo. You are there to support OUR athletes. Our athlete has even publicly said HE WAS DEVASTATED AFTER LOSING HIS MATCH WITH THIS FELLA, and you think it’s a good move to take a picture with him and fangirl over him? What does that action say to our athletes? You are there on official duty. Please act accordingly.”

However, some also supported her, saying, “It's good to see fellow ASEAN athletes doing well at the Olympics. It gives the other ASEAN countries something to cheer and also to gun for. Your dedication to Malaysian athletes is unquestioned. There is nothing wrong with admiring the sporting excellence of athletes in our neighbouring countries.”

She then responded to the haters with several Instagram stories which showed screenshots of Olympic values. She wrote the following:

In her first story she wrote, "Point no. 1 - Understand the Olympic values. Respect and friendship. Very basic starting point."

"Point no. 2 - When the competition has ended, after receiving your medals, you celebrate the winners. Sportsmanship is about accepting loss when all is fair and being able to acknowledge your rivals in a respectful manner,” she added.

She explained, "Point 3 - I am not just the Sports Minister. I am also the Youth Minister. I am not all about winning medals at all costs. I am here to instill a healthy sporting culture in our youth. We are not sore losers. There is nothing insensitive about acknowledging our rival's strength after the competition. I saw how calm @kunlavut.v was (only 23 years old and ranked no. 8 then) when he defeated world no. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-12, 21-10."

"Young people should be brave enough to call out what is good. If you sit around fearing social media comments, you allow opportunities to display exemplary acts to slip by. Sports teach us invaluable lessons about life, and this is why parents must encourage children to do sports. They become stronger when they practise good sportsmanship," said Yeoh.

In her last point she wrote, "Point 3—This is me congratulating the coaches Tan Kim Her and Jeremy Gan (both Malaysians) when their Japanese athletes won. I am still at point no. 3 to illustrate that it's not about being a fan of Kunlavut. I am consistent about practising good sportsmanship, and I represent Malaysia. Be honourable even when we lose. So, to our ASEAN neighbour Thailand, I say to you again, 'Congratulations! We should be lifting each other up.'"