KUALA LUMPUR: Sports brings people together. However, if not careful, it has the power to divide.
On Thursday, Indonesian badminton coach Eng Hian found himself in a tight spot when he was caught on camera referring to Malaysia's Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah as "putih" (white) and "hitam" (black) when giving instructions to his charges, Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma-Amalia Cahaya Pratiwi, during a match break at the French Open.
However, Pearly-Thinaah defeated the Indonesian pair 21-16, 21-14 in the last-16 women's doubles match to reach the quarter-finals.
It drew flak from the badminton community, though some remained on the fence, neither defending nor condemning the coach, a former Olympic bronze medallist.
Eng Hian, in a video posted on Rubber Game Indonesia's Twitter account on Friday, apologised to Pearly-Thinaah, stating that he meant no harm and had no intention to hurt the feelings of both players with his comments.
A top international badminton coach, who has worked in several countries, said: "This is a tricky situation. For a fact, I know Eng Hian did not mean it, but still, the words were inappropriate.
"Acceptance and tolerance vary in different parts of the world. This matter gained a lot of traction because Eng Hian spoke in Bahasa Indonesia, and Malaysians picked it up.
"What if it was spoken in a different language?
"Still, I believe this is a lesson for everybody to be mindful of at all times. It's very sensitive."
It is not the first time a sensitive issue has been brought to attention in sports. Previously, top footballers like Uruguay's Edinson Cavani and Luiz Suarez were sanctioned for uttering the phrase "negrito" which is offensive in some contexts but has an unacceptable interpretation in others.
In Malaysia, some fans still use the term "negro" to refer to those from Africa or the black community from the United States.
So, where do we draw the line?
Are we progressing as a society, or do we still have a long way to go in unlearning old habits that no longer have a place in today's world?
One thing for sure is that Eng Hian's comments did not affect the performance of Pearly-Thinaah, who showed true class in not only defeating their Indonesian opponents but also reaching the semi-finals of the French Open after pulling off an upset over world No 3 Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida of Japan in the quarter-finals on Friday.