Taiwanese taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) was disqualified from the Asian Games yesterday over allegations that she used extra sensors in her socks, a move that sparked claims of a conspiracy and a flood of support from indignant Taiwanese fans and lawmakers.
Yang was disqualified in the first round of her under-49kg bout against Vietnamese opponent Vu Thi Hau, while holding a 9-0 lead.
Officials stopped the bout because they believed Yang’s electronic socks, used to register successful kicks, did not meet requirements, even though they had been approved in a pre-bout inspection.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s delegation immediately filed a formal protest, but the Asian Games arbitration committee rejected it and upheld the judge’s ruling.
The disqualification, which World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) secretary-general Yang Jin-suk said was confirmed by a five-member WTF technical committee, left Yang and her coach — who staged a sit-down protest — in tears.
“This was an extremely unfair decision. I don’t know what was wrong. All of my electronic protective equipment followed official specifications,” Yang Shu-chun said.
“I brought two pairs of WTF-certified socks with me. The Chinese examiner asked me to scrap the first pair, but the second pair passed the examination,” she said.
“Before the start of [yesterday’s] bout, the chief judge carefully examined all the equipment on my body and did not raise any questions,” she said.
Liu Yung-lung (劉永隆), one of Taiwan’s coaches, said the decision was arbitrary and unreasonable because the socks were from a WTF-certified brand and had passed Asian Games inspections.
“Even though the model was different, the judge did not find fault with it before the bout. If the judge had brought up the problem at the start, Yang Shu-chun could have changed her socks. This was negligence on the part of the organizers,” Liu said.
“Individual athletes should not have to pay for the authorities’ problems,” he said.
Yang Jin-suk said Yang Shu-chun and Taiwanese coaches are expected to face sanctions for their protest.
Asked why Yang Shu-chun had been disqualified after passing the pre-match inspection, Yang Jin-suk said he “couldn’t explain in detail because it involved personal privacy.”
For Yang Shu-chun, it was a cruel blow. The 2008 Olympic bronze medal winner had hoped to fight the Chinese athlete who beat her in Beijing — Wu Jingyu (吳靜鈺).
“Why wouldn’t they let me compete? I was well prepared to defeat my Chinese rival,” Yang Shu-chun said.
Yang Jin-suk said extra sensors could help the wearer score points more easily under a new electronic scoring system that detects kicks.
“When somebody tries to take advantage by manipulating equipment to gain more points, it’s unfair,” he said.
Saying that all the electronic gear used by Taiwanese athletes at the Asian Games was purchased from the WTF in accordance with its regulations, president of the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association, Chen Chien-ping (陳建平) said: “It is hard for us to accept this arbitrary decision.”
Chen said the rest of Taiwan’s taekwondo team would stay in the competition, adding: “Our athletes will turn their anger and sadness into energy and strength to win honors in the event.”
In Taipei, the Executive Yuan and lawmakers across party lines voiced support for Yang Shu-chun.
The Sports Affairs Council (SAC) said in a press release last night that the government has demanded the Asian Taekwondo Union launch an investigation into the case.
Executive Yuan Spokesman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) quoted Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as saying that Taiwan was not satisfied.
“From the current information we have, our athlete Yang Shu-chun was wronged,” Chiang quoted Wu as saying. “If it is proven that the ruling was unfair, the Asian Game Organizing Committee has to shoulder the biggest responsibility.”
“The decision was inconceivable and ridiculous,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄), a taekwondo silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics, said at a press conference in Taipei.
He said the decision was unfair because the equipment had passed pre-match inspection and Yang Shu-chun was allowed to compete.
Huang said wearing unsanctioned gear should have resulted in a warning or points deduction, but Yang was handed a 12-0 loss.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) urged SAC Chairwoman Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡), who is currently in Guangzhou, to do her best to protect the integrity of Taiwanese athletes.
The SAC should do everything it can to overturn the decision “even if it means we have to boycott the Games,” she said.
After the disqualification, Taiwanese television anchorwoman Chen Yi-an (陳怡安) angrily called the ruling the most awkward moment in the history of taekwondo.
She said she suspected a plot, as Yang Shu-chun was likely to meet a Chinese competitor in the final.
Lee Chia-jung (李佳融), head taekwondo coach at National Taiwan Normal University, said the Asian Games inspection team and the referee had done a poor job and that they couldn’t place responsibility on Yang and the Taiwanese team.
Saying that the electronic socks met WTF specifications, Lee added that the decision was unacceptable and the incident could have been handled by deducting a point from Yang Shu-chun’s score. The decision to disqualify her was over the top, Lee said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG, SHELLEY SHAN AND STAFF WRITER
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
RSS