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Family of gymnast sacked for 'losing virginity' challenges Persani’s decision
SAS' lawyer, Imam Moklas, explained that his client also took issue with the association using the loss of one’s virginity as grounds for dismissing an athlete from the training center. Imam has filed a complaint to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the Youth and Sports Ministry, KONI and Persani.
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Ayu, the mother of the sacked gymnast, shows a number of medals won by her daughter from a number of regional, national and regional gymnastics championships at her home in Kediri, East Java, Friday. (The Jakarta Post/Asip Hasani)
T
he family of a young gymnast dropped from Indonesia’s national team for the 2019 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in the Philippines for allegedly losing her virginity has called into question the decision by the Gymnastics Association of Indonesia (Persani)
The athlete in question, identified as SAS, is reportedly suffering from psychological trauma and has refused to go to school since news of the situation spread across the nation.
SAS's mother, Ayu, said she could accept a decision to drop her daughter from competition, but questioned the association’s use of virginity as the criteria for doing so.
"We don't mind if the association dropped her from the competition, but why did they use virginity as the reason?" Ayu said on Friday.
"She has even decided to stop pursuing a career in gymnastics. It's over, she said," Ayu said.
SAS, who is currently in her final year of high school, became interested in gymnastics when she was in the second grade of elementary school. Her talent caught the attention of Persani and the National Sports Committee (KONI). When she was in fourth grade, she moved to Gresik, East Java, to train seriously as a gymnast. Around two years ago, Persani’s East Java branch recruited her as an athlete.
She has won 49 medals in various sport championships, at both regional and national levels. Her most recent achievement was a bronze medal at the Asian School Championship 2017 in Singapore. She also snatched gold during a national level championship in Jambi a year before.
