Banned from SEA Games for ‘losing virginity’
Published on: Sunday, December 08, 2019
Manila: Seventeen-year-old Shalfa Avrila Sania, an Indonesian gymnast who has won nearly 50 medals for her country since she was 8 years old, was abruptly dismissed from the SEA Games squad by her coach.
The coach claimed it was because she was no longer a virgin. According to Indonesian news portal iNews Jatim, Shalfa’s family was outraged by the sudden dismissal and how the claim tarnished her reputation and dignity.
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“The coach said my daughter always goes out late with her male friends and their interrogation showed she was no longer a virgin,” said Shalfa’s mother, Ayu Kurniawati in an interview with local media.
In a bid to clear their daughter’s name, the family took Shalfa for a medical checkup to confirm that her hymen is indeed intact.
The report was sent to the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports to protest her dismissal.
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“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.
