Taipei: The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced Wednesday that it has imposed a fine of NT$1.1 million (US$33,687) on National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), along with penalties of NT$500,000 each on two research project leaders, due to alleged coerced blood sampling of female soccer players at the institution.
According to Focus Taiwan, the MOE has also stated that an investigation task force will be established in collaboration with the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), as the case involves a “major violation of human research ethics” during an NSTC-funded project. Concurrently, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office has initiated a criminal inquiry, identifying the soccer team coach, surnamed Chou, as a suspect. The office will investigate whether the coach’s actions constitute criminal coercion.
In response, NTSC head Wu Cheng-wen expressed strong disapproval of NTNU’s actions and criticized the university’s attitude during the NSTC investigation. He mentioned that the council would release its report in two months and warned that funding for the school could be canceled as a result.
The issue first came to light last November when Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Chen Pei-yu disclosed that the NTNU female soccer team players were compelled by their coach to participate in an NSTC project. This involved three blood draws per day for 14 consecutive days, with the threat of withholding course credits required for graduation.
Chen also highlighted that, initially, blood samples were drawn by non-medically qualified personnel, violating the Human Subjects Research Act and the Medical Care Act, according to Lai Hsin-heng, head of the Taiwan Association of Medical Technologists. Lai emphasized that improper techniques by unqualified personnel could pose serious health risks to athletes, including infections, torn muscles, and ruptured blood vessels.
In a statement released Wednesday night, NTNU President Wu Cheng-chih expressed the university’s deepest apologies to the affected students, their parents, and all parties concerned with education and human rights. NTNU admitted that female soccer team members were subjected to prolonged blood sampling without proper informed consent and faced “verbal threats and psychological pressure” in an unequal power dynamic.
Following investigations by NTNU’s Research Ethics Committee and the Campus Bullying Prevention Committee, the teacher involved was found to have violated ethical standards and committed acts of bullying. The incident was described as a failure in the university’s management and oversight. NTNU pledged to review its coaching recruitment, evaluation system, training, curriculum design for athletic teams, and ethical review mechanisms for academic research, taking full responsibility for the matter.
NTNU stated that its faculty review committee would reexamine the case and complete disciplinary action within two weeks. Additionally, the implicated teacher has been temporarily suspended to prevent any contact with involved students.
The Taipei-based university, a leading institution in Taiwan, faced criticism for not dismissing the soccer team coach but instead imposing disciplinary actions such as no salary raises, no overtime, no part-time teaching, no overseas research or further studies with pay, and a ban on holding executive, supervisory, or faculty evaluation committee positions.
The MOE has mandated that NTNU halt new human-body related research proposals since July 1 and requires the university to report improvements to the ministry within three months.