A group photo of the physical gap between young players playing in the adult tournament sparked heated discussions, Malaysian Volleyball Association: Please respect the players

"Please respect the national athletes, and don't make personal attacks." The Malaysian Volleyball Association (MAA) has issued an official statement appealing to all fans to focus on the sport itself rather than the athlete's physique.

A photo of Malaysian teenagers Noazwa (second from left), Wu Yujie and Chinese Olympian Xue Chen (right) and Zeng Jinjin has caused heated discussions on the Internet.

Malaysian Volleyball Association: National youth players should be encouraged, not ridiculed. "We welcome constructive feedback aimed at improving volleyball in Malaysia, but the current wave of cyberbullying and derogatory comments has taken an emotional and psychological toll on our players. Our national youth athletes, like other athletes, should be encouraged, not ridiculed. ”

The Malaysian Volleyball Association is so serious because of a photo that circulated on the Internet a few days ago. At that time, the Malaysian Volleyball Association sent young players to China to participate in the 2025 Asian Beach Volleyball Tour Pingtan Station, but the photo of Noazva, Wu Yujie and Chinese players Xue Chen and Zeng Jinjin was ridiculed by netizens, saying that the physical gap between the two sides is so big, how to play?

However, Noazeva and Wu Yujie are both young players, one is only 16 years old and the other is 17 years old, on the contrary, the Chinese players are all Olympic-level adult players, so they cannot be compared. Xue Chen and Zeng Jinjin, who won medals in the sand volleyball competition at the Beijing Olympics, also won the championship in this event.

Noazeva (from left) and Wu Yujie lost to eventual winners of China's Xue Chen and Zeng Jinjin

Enlist in the adult competition to gain experience and accumulate points. According to the Malaysian Volleyball Association, they sent Noazwa and Goh Yujie to participate in the senior level event to learn from practical experience and accumulate points in order to qualify for the Asian under-18 and under-21 world championships and the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Noazwa is a rising star of Malaysia's sand volleyball team, having already represented Malaysia at a young age in major international competitions such as the 2022 U19 World Championships in Turkey, the 2023 U21 World Championships in Thailand, and the 2024 U19 World Championships in China. It is worth mentioning that the Malaysian national youth team has been ranked in the top five of the Asian U19 and U21 competitions for three consecutive years, and has defeated many strong teams such as Australia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand.

In addition, the Kuala Lumpur Volleyball Association also issued a proclamation calling on everyone to comment rationally to respect every athlete who has won glory for the country. Kuala Lumpur Platoon Association president Datuk Lui Chee Hung said, "Don't focus on personal attacks, mockery or body shaming. The fighting spirit, teamwork and professionalism displayed by the national athletes deserve our most basic respect.