Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh recently congratulated Kunlavut Vitidsarn, who won silver for Thailand in the men's singles badminton category at the Paris Olympics.

Malaysia's badminton player Lee Zii Jia was defeated by Vitidsarn 21-14, 21-15 in the semi-finals at the Paris Olympics.

In a show of sportsmanship, Yeoh wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday, August 6, "Congratulations @kunlavut.v for winning silver in Paris 2024. I enjoy his style of badminton so much. So calm and collected. He has a new fan in me!"

However, her post received mixed reactions from the public.

Some Malaysians criticized the minister for taking a photo with the Thai medalist, arguing that she shouldn't publicly support a "rival" against Malaysia's athlete, as it was "insensitive."

Many defended Yeoh, stating that celebrating success and showing good sportsmanship towards opponents is not wrong.

Others pointed out that Yeoh has been in Paris supporting every Malaysian athlete throughout their journey.

Yeoh has since responded to the criticism of her post.

In a series of Instagram Stories, she shared screenshots outlining Olympic values.

"Point no. 1 - Understand the Olympic values. Respect and friendship. Very basic starting point," she wrote.

According to the International Olympic Committee, demonstrating respect involves respecting yourself, the rules, your opponents, the environment, and the public.

"This is the idea of setting your rivalries aside. There is more that unites us than divides us," it states.

Yeoh further explained that as the minister responsible for both sports and youth, her focus is on fostering a healthy sporting culture, not just on "winning medals at all costs."

"I am here to instill a healthy sporting culture for our youth. We are not sore losers. There is nothing insensitive about acknowledging our rival's strength after the competition. I saw how calm @kunlavut.v was (only 23 years old and ranked no. 8 then) when he defeated world no. 1 Shi Yuqi of China 21-12, 21-10.

"Young people, be brave to call out what is good. If you sit around fearing social media comments, you allow opportunities to display exemplary acts to slip by. Sports teach us invaluable lessons about life and this is why parents must encourage children to do sports. They become stronger when they practice good sportsmanship," she concluded her post.