Kisona Bursts Into Tears When Asked About The 'K' Slur Used Against Her
The national badminton player admitted that the racist remark affected her psychology and eventually her performance
By Sadho Ram — 09 Oct 2021, 12:39 PM — Updated over 2 years ago
National badminton player Kisona Selvaduray could not hold back her tears when she was asked about the 'K' slur used against her on social media by a Kelantan politician following the Sudirman Cup semi-final
She admitted that the racist remark affected her psychology and eventually her performance.
But the 23-year-old is determined to put the incident behind her and focus on the Uber Cup opening round match against hosts Denmark today, 9 October, as she will take on the role of first singles for Malaysia.
Obviously (it affected me) because, in the end, I am human too…
"Somehow, I need to shift my focus to my coming match. So, I'll leave it to my family, BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia), and the relevant authorities to resolve the issue," the Seremban-born said.
While she tried to keep her composure, Kisona burst into tears when asked regarding the same issue by another media moments later, reported Bernama last night, 8 October.
Kisona, who is ranked world #53, is likely to take on world #12 Mia Blichfeldt, said she and her teammates are ready to fight till the end
"This will be my second Uber Cup campaign after the 2018 Bangkok edition, so far I am comfortable with the venue and the weather (despite it dipping below 10ºC at times)," she was quoted as saying.
"Of course, I want to play better than I did at the Sudirman Cup and I don't want to play down my chances although my opponent is better. I feel that our Uber Cup squad have its own strengths, we just lack experience. We will give it our best and fight for victory. We are not here to lose," she said.
The racist remark against Kisona was made by Borhanuddin Che Rahim, following her defeat to Japan's Akane Yamaguchi during the Malaysia-Japan Sudirman Cup semi-final clash on Friday, 1 October
The politician had questioned BAM's choice for selecting Kisona as Malaysia main player while using the 'K' slur to describe her and imply that she came from an estate where Indians worked under forced labour.
Following a public outcry, Borhanuddin, who is Bersatu Pasir Puteh division vice chairman, took down his post but claimed that he had not intend to insult the Indian community with the term.
It has been reported that Borhanuddin will be resigning from Bersatu following the controversy.
