Last November, an Indonesian motorbike rider who was taking part in the curtain raiser for the Motorcycle Grand Prix (Moto GP) died after an accident at the Sepang circuit
Twenty-year-old Afridza Munandar died, despite receiving immediate medical treatment by the side of the track and taken by helicopter to the hospital.
Moto GP like a number of other major events including Formula One and the KL International Marathon, has strong safety precautions in place. Despite that, the death Afridza underlines the fragility of even the best of safety and medical practices.
The number of sports events being held in Malaysia is increasing day-by-day, both at elite and grass-root level. Just how effective are the safety measures in place for these events?
In Singapore, 32-year-old bodybuilding champion Pradip Subramanian died after a celebrity Muay Thai match with YouTuber Steven Lim in 2017. In the ongoing inquiry at a coroner’s court it was revealed that Pradip had an underlying heart conditions that placed him at a high risk of cardiac arrest.
The case has given cause for the Singapore Sports Safety Committee to tighten its Sports Safety Code. The Committee was formed more than a decade ago regularly makes detailed study on sports safety standards and systems.
The committee was concerned as to whether the medical facilities at the venue were comparable to what was needed in such events. They also wanted to know whether the deceased had been given proper bill of healt to participate in the bout.
The terms of reference of the committee when it was formed included providing strategic guidance on the development, dissemination and implementation of sports safety guidelines for Singapore, incorporating risk management and injury prevention principles. It was also to establish specialist sub-committees in specific areas such as water safety, event medical coverage, exercise & training facilities, risk assessments, sports related injuries (sudden death & heat injuries), training and education in life saving skills and pre-participation screening.
The Code was also targeted at groups such as community sports clubs and event organisers.
Unfortunately, there are no such committees in Malaysia to recommend sports safety strategies.
“Ideally it would good for Malaysia to have its own Sports Safety Code. But the task is not just about establishing a code but in ensuring it was implemented effectively,” said Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz.
The former DG of National Sports Council (NSC) and CEO of the National Sports Institute (NSI) pointed out that as Singapore, being a smaller country, it was easier to implement sports safety code.
“I believe most sports associations in Malaysia do have sports safety codes. It is the same with organisers of sports events. But the key question is always as to how effectively they implement their own safety codes,” said Dr Ramlan.
In December 2017, 44-year-old Evelyn Ang was in a coma after she was knocked down by a car during the Klang City Marathon. Evelyn passed away in March the following year. The organisers had all the necessary paperwork but sadly it lacked in the proper implementation of safety measures.
Singapore, despite the headstart, are also facing problems in sports associations being able to adopt the code, especially in the fast growing martial arts scene.
“A lot of times, medical arrangements here are rather ad-hoc and sometimes an after-thought. In some cases there also no budget allocation for medical and sports safety,’ said Ramlan.
He added that it would be helpful if the code also encompassed schools and sporting venues like gymnasiums and stadiums.
Ramlan believed that the setting up a committee to look into sports safety was a multi-agency task.
“I believe at least seven different Ministries, including for sports, health and education as well as local councils need to be involved in such a task. It is just not about coming out with protocols and guidelines but it must also have some legal weight to it,” he added.
He said that it should be a three stage strategy starting with the formulation of the safety code, compliance adherence and training of personnel to monitor the administration of the code.
“There must be some procedure to audit whether sports associations, events and others related firstly have a safety code of their own. There must be motivation to implement the safety code as well as proper outreach programmes,” said Dr Ramlan.
While all event organisers are now required by law under the Sports Development Act to apply for approval to host sports events, more attention is given to financial aspects rather than crucial aspects like sports safety.
The Sports Commissioners Office itself does not have the capacity to monitor any Sports Safety Code, if it ever comes to fruition in the near future and it may need a separate agency to undertake the task.
But sports safety is not just crucial during events, it is also a vital part of schools sports as well as sports arenas.
It took a report from the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department’s fire safety division to point out that the 13 stadiums around the country were unsafe as they are not in compliance with safety features.
The report was made in September, but the question of what sports safety measures have been put in place in all the affected stadiums remains to be answered.
Every year, without fail, the dangerous air quality caused by the open burning in Indonesia, affects Malaysians. Policies on how schools react to students playing sports during such situations are still vague and are made as and when necessary.
Even in normal circumstances, children get into sports without any concern on their physical or pre-existing health conditions. Poor air condition is bad for their well being but so are the heat and humid conditions.
How close or far the nearest medical facility is available is also an important aspect of sports safety that is often ignored.
Without a proper Sports Safety Code and without proper implementation of sports safety measures, athletes as well as spectators are always facing some form of inherent danger.
For now, the crucial responsibility of ensuring sports safety at events lies in individual organisations. Prevention is better than cure.
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