Kuala lumpur: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has expressed sadness and regret over the actions of the Warzone World Championship (WWC) organisers for allegedly using a child participant to issue an apology to the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) regarding the organisation of the tournament.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hannah stated in a social media post that the move was inappropriate and raised questions about the organisers’ accountability, given that the event was held without official approval from the Malaysian Commissioner of Sports (PJS) as required under the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576).

Hannah emphasized, “Please do not use children to make such explanations. KBS does not need this young child to apologise. The child is not at fault. The organisers must take responsibility.” This statement came after a nearly three-minute video showed the child participant apologising to Hannah, her deputy Adam Adli Abd Halim, and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek over the incident during the WWC tournament press conference.

KBS, in a statement last Sunday, confirmed that the tournament scheduled for December had not received its approval. They reiterated that any sports event, particularly those involving international participation, must obtain approval from the PJS in line with Act 576.

The controversy was further fueled by a video of the WWC tournament press conference that went viral. It showed two children, believed to be participants of the competition, getting into a fight during the introduction session. This incident drew negative reactions from social media users, who called for authorities to conduct further investigations into the organisation of the tournament.