A 17-Year-Old Gymnast Was Allegedly Dropped From 2019 SEA Games For Not Being A Virgin

She was training for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (2019 SEA Games), a biennial regional multi-sport event which is being held in the Philippines from 30 November to 11 December 2019.

The 17-year-old was due to leave for this year's SEA Games in the Philippines on 26 November when she was suddenly dismissed from the training in mid-November, said a Thomson Reuters Foundation report.

"The coach said my daughter always goes out late with her male friends and their interrogation showed she was no longer a virgin," Reuters quoted Shalfa's mother, Ayu Kurniawati, as saying.

Her mother said that the coach simple cast Shalfa aside without any letter, "without any prior notice, just telling her to go home", adding that they claimed her "hymen was torn as if she was raped".

She said that Shalfa has won nearly 50 medals since she took up the sport when she was eight.

According to the family's lawyer, Imam Muklas, they are protesting Shalfa's dismissal.

In a statement, Gatot Sulistiantoro Dewa Broto, a secretary at the Youth and Sports Ministry, said that they contacted the Gymnastics Association of Indonesia (PERSANI) regarding Shalfa's alleged expulsion.

According to him, the reason as to why Shalfa was dropped has nothing to do with her virginity and more to do with the athlete's performance and disciplinary issues.

"The truth, according to coach Pak Indra, was that the athlete had been sent home because she lacked discipline and focus, thus resulting in her declining performance, so they decided not to include her for SEA Games," Gatot said in a statement, as reported by The Jakarta Post.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports said that the Indonesia Gymnastics Association then replaced the female gymnast with a higher-ranked athlete due to Shalfa's misbehaviour.

"We will take firm action if the athlete was sent back due to questions over her virginity because this is a matter of privacy, dignity and has nothing to do with performance," he said.

Meanwhile, Gatot added that the ministry has called on all sports branch to not cause even a little fuss as it will likely affect the concentration of the country’s delegation in general and asked them to first consult to the federation chief, KONI, or even the ministry.

"So, such a sensitive issue can be mitigated immediately,” he was quoted as saying by Tempo Media.