NTNU principal, soccer coach apologize over blood test controversy

Taipei, July 19 (CNA) National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) principal and the coach of its women's soccer team apologized Saturday over a research project that allegedly involved coercive blood sampling of multiple student athletes.

At a press conference in Taipei, NTNU Principal Wu Cheng-chih (吳正己) said he was "saddened" and would take full responsibility for the issue.

He said the university had been negligent, and he pledged to thoroughly review its institutional ethics and oversight procedures.

Wu also called on the two faculty members involved in the project -- women's soccer coach Chou Tai-ying (周台英) and research project leader Chen Chung-ching (陳忠慶) -- to sincerely apologize, "regardless of how benign their motivations were."

In response, Chen and Chou took deep bows at the press conference and apologized to the affected students, the university, and the public.

"It is definitely my fault for making you feel the way you did," Chou said. "I'm very sorry if I caused any pressure on the school and the students due to my reckless words and behavior."

Chou, 61, is a former national team player who led Taiwan to three consecutive Asian Cup titles in 1977, 1979 and 1981. She is an associate professor at NTNU's Department of Sport and Kinesiology and has been serving as coach of the university's women's soccer team since 2004.

Saturday was the first time Wu and Chou appeared in public since the blood test controversy resurfaced last Monday.

At the press conference, Chen Hsueh-chih (陳學志), chairperson of NTNU's institutional review board, said an inspection found that blood sampling had begun as early as 2019 and continued into 2024 for different research projects.

The case first came to light in November 2024, when lawmaker Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) revealed that, over several years, players on NTNU's women's soccer team had been coerced by their coach to participate in a National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) project that required three blood samples per day from each player for 14 consecutive days.

The students were told that if they did not comply, they would lose course credits required for graduation, according to the lawmaker.

In the early stages of the study, blood was drawn by personnel without medical qualifications, in violation of the Human Subjects Research Act and the Medical Care Act, she said, citing Taiwan Association of Medical Technologists President Lai Hsin-heng (賴信亨).

Improper techniques by unqualified individuals posed potentially life-threatening risks, such as infection, muscle tears, and ruptured blood vessels, Lai said.

On Saturday, Chou admitted that she had asked unlicensed senior students to assist with the blood draws, and she apologized for the decision.

"Because I had only a few players, and they were often injured, I was motivated to conduct the research in hopes of helping them," she said.

According to data provided by Chen Pei-yu, players were required to participate in the experiment over many years, with some having blood samples drawn three times a day for two weeks. One player allegedly provided a total of 200 blood samples.

In response, Chen Chung-ching said an internal investigation indicated that only one blood sample per day was taken from each student. The samples were discarded after the investigation found fault with the blood-drawing procedure, he added.

Chen said he had requested the retraction of one academic paper from the study and would do the same for two other related papers, after consulting with the co-authors.

Also on Saturday, Deputy Education Minister Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said the ministry will review the responsibilities of all personnel involved in the case and examine all experiments conducted on humans by the two NTNU faculty members.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Education said it may revoke the coaching license of an NTNU women's soccer team coach. The ministry did not name the coach.

That announcement followed a conclusion by NTNU's campus bullying prevention committee that Chou's actions amounted to bullying and it had recommended her suspension for two years.