NTNU to sack former soccer coach over controversial blood sampling

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has decided to dismiss Chou Tai-ying (周台英), the school's longtime women's varsity soccer coach, over her improper handling of blood sampling for research projects involving student athletes.

The school said in a brief statement on Friday that its Faculty Evaluation Committee completed a three-tier, three-level review before deciding to dismiss Chou and that NTNU will not reappoint her as a teacher within a four-year period.

The decision was made during a university-level meeting earlier in the day, with more than half of the 20 attendees voting anonymously in favor of Chou's dismissal, NTNU said.

A report on the decision will soon be submitted to the Ministry of Education for final approval and execution, the school said.

The vote overturned the university's earlier conclusion that Chou, an associate professor in NTNU's Department of Sport and Kinesiology who had already been suspended from her coaching post, would instead receive a salary freeze and other disciplinary measures.

That earlier decision came despite a recommendation by a committee on campus bullying prevention that Chou be suspended for two years.

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Chou, 61, is a former national team player who led Taiwan to three consecutive Asian Cup titles in 1977, 1979 and 1981. She has served as head coach of the university's women's soccer team since 2004.

The case came to light in November 2024 when lawmaker Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) revealed that players on NTNU's women's soccer team had been coerced for years by Chou into participating in studies she designed that were approved by the National Science and Technology Council.

In those projects, focused on determining the impact of sports apparel and treatment methods on athletes' recovery, each player was required to give three blood samples per day for multiple days in a row.

Students were told that refusal to participate could cost them course credits required for graduation, Chen said.

The university's previous decision had sparked public outrage and prompted the Ministry of Education to urge a review. Friday's meeting was the final stage of NTNU's three-tier faculty evaluation process, following reviews at the department and college levels.

According to the statement, the decision considered the unequal power dynamic between Chou and the students, the number of students affected, the physical and psychological harm caused, and the infringement on students' educational rights.

Other factors included the duration, number and frequency of the bullying, as well as the level of responsibility Chou should bear, it said.

The university confirmed that Chou repeatedly bullied and demeaned students, conducted blood sampling without clearly informing students of its purpose, and failed to obtain their informed consent.

Citing Chou's own admission that she had instructed senior students without medical licenses to help carry out the blood sampling, NTNU said she had clearly violated relevant regulations.

The university emphasized that its academic ethics investigation committee will continue to probe the case and hold the principal investigator and other involved faculty members accountable.

The outcome could result in Chou, who will soon turn 62, losing her pension benefits, as she may be past the legal retirement age of 65 by the time the punishment takes effect.

According to the Ministry of Education, faculty members who are dismissed are not eligible to apply for retirement or pension benefits.