Preface

A sports coach at a Taiwanese university recently apologized amidst controversy surrounding a research initiative purportedly involving coercion of students into donating blood. Chou Tai-ying, 61, expressed that her intention was to assist her team, "because I had only a few players and they were often injured," but the purpose of the blood collection remains unclear.

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The controversy began when a Taiwanese politician, Chen Pei-yu, highlighted the case in 2024. Allegations were made that students were threatened with academic penalties if they refused to participate. An internal probe at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) revealed that blood collection began in 2019 for various research projects.

Main Body

The situation surrounding Chou Tai-ying, a sports coach at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), has come into light, prompting an apology from Chou following accusations of student coercion to donate blood. Chou admitted to requesting unqualified students to assist with the blood withdrawal, acknowledging her "reckless words and behavior" that placed undue stress on both the school and its students.

Local media reports disclosed that this issue was brought up by Taiwanese politician Chen Pei-yu in 2024, who claimed students were threatened with the loss of academic credits for non-participation. The university's internal examination revealed a trail of blood sampling activity dating back to 2019 which continued through 2024. These efforts were tied to various "research projects," although the specifics of these projects remain vague.

In light of the revelations, NTNU's principal, Wu Cheng-chi, has issued an official apology, attributing the blame to the institution's lax oversight. The university administration has pledged a review of its ethical and supervisory protocols to prevent future incidents. Concurrently, the Deputy Minister of Education has announced that the Ministry will conduct its own evaluations regarding both the incident and the roles Chou and another party, Professor Chen Hsueh-chih, played in it.

Professor Chen, overseeing one of the unspecified research projects, also expressed regret. Claiming the objective was to benefit athlete students, Chen admitted that the execution inadvertently caused harm to the students and their families.

The internal investigation further revealed that students were required to donate blood once a day consistently, and upon discovering improper methods of collection, those samples were discarded. Initial claims by Chen Pei-yu suggested a more intense schedule of three samples each day for two weeks, which was reportedly a long-term requirement for the players.

In an associated development, it surfaced that the Ministry of Education is considering revoking coaching credentials of an NTNU women's football coach, without naming Chou specifically. This adds a layer of complexity to an episode that has gained public attention due to its ethical implications.

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