TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A National Taiwan Normal University women’s soccer coach has been suspended after allegedly coercing players into giving blood samples for a research project by threatening to withhold credits.
DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) last year revealed that a coach surnamed Chou (周) involved in a National Science and Technology Council research project had forced athletes to participate in experiments since 2017, per CNA. Players were required to give blood samples three times a day for two weeks, with initial collections reportedly carried out by unlicensed personnel.
Those who refused were allegedly threatened with the loss of academic credits or expulsion. NTNU launched an internal investigation.
The Ministry of Education later confirmed the case constituted bullying by a teacher. NTNU said the incident took place while Chou was overseeing the team’s involvement in the research project.
Following the University Football Association Championship in May, a department representative delivered Chou's signed apology letter to the team. On Sunday, NTNU said it had removed Chou from all administrative and coaching roles in December and barred the coach from leading any varsity teams.
The university said that some samples were taken by unqualified individuals, and written informed consent was not obtained. These actions violated the Human Subjects Research Act and related ethical guidelines.
The project was terminated, and the team was prohibited from further use as research subjects. All data collected has been excluded from analysis and ordered destroyed by the lead investigator.
NTNU said stipends for participants in the project’s first year were eventually deposited into players’ accounts despite initial delays. However, in earlier studies, Chou had asked students to return part of their compensation for team expenses without proper consent.
The university reaffirmed its commitment to research ethics and sound financial practices. It pledged to strengthen faculty guidelines, expand ethics training, and tighten oversight of research projects.
The dean of the College of Sports and Recreation and the director of the Physical Education Office have also reached out to affected students, expressing the university’s apologies and willingness to meet with those affected.
