Chong said the ministry should also investigate national swimmer Cindy Ong’s allegations of being sexually assaulted when she was a teenager.

“For a long-term solution, a proper channel should be set up for victims to lodge complaints, and these should be dealt with effectively,” she said in a statement.

She said this special channel would help prevent a repeat of such incidents among athletes and staff, while assisting Ong to lodge a police report.

“There are reasons to believe that such cases are just the tip of the iceberg as many suffer in silence for fear of a backlash or being rejected as a participant in a sports event for voicing out.”

While the media could highlight cases of sexual abuse, it was unable to entirely solve the issue of harassment, added Chong, who is also Penang’s state executive councillor for social development and non-Islamic religious affairs.

Chong also said the National Sports Council’s Athlete Representative Committee as well as the Misconduct & Harassment in Sports Committee and the Athletes’ Commission, under the Olympic Council of Malaysia, must be effective entities for people to lodge complaints against sexual harassment.

Earlier this week, Ong told Malaysiakini of her experiences with sexual harassment over the years as a national athlete, including an incident where a swimming coach had touched her breast.

She also claimed that the same coach had sexually assaulted at least 10 other athletes.

Another former national swimmer, who wished to remain anonymous, also claimed the coach had masturbated in front of a male swimmer who he thought was asleep.