Indonesian athlete hurls verbal abuse at Vietnamese SEA Games volunteers

Yeremia Rambitan, 22, runner-up in the men’s doubles contest, had finished the last day of the badminton tournament on May 22.

The Indonesian badminton athletes were saying goodbye to Vietnamese volunteers in the northern province of Bac Giang when Yeremia allegedly laughed and used “inappropriate language” in a loud voice. The incident was livestreamed on social media, the Indosport reported.

Yeremia explained that he had said things in jest, but he still faced a backlash from the Indonesian community.

The Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) issued an official statement regarding the incident Thursday, with general secretary Muhammad Fadil issuing a warning to Yeremia. He said Yeremia had apologized for his actions and promised not to repeat it.

Yeremia’s coach Aryono Miranat said he only learned of his ward’s actions when he was returning to his country. He said he would like to apologize if Yeremia’s words had hurt anyone.