National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) announced on Tueday last week that it had suspended Weng Shih-hang (翁士航), an associate professor in the Department of Sport and Kinesiology, and terminated its contract with Weng’s assistant coach, Mai Liu Hsiang-han (麥劉湘涵), following an investigation into alleged abuses of authority and bullying of students.
From an educational standpoint, the use of physical punishment, verbal abuse or even breaches of bodily and sexual boundaries in the name of “training” is completely incompatible with contemporary educational values. From forcing students to do handstands as punishment, slapping them, restricting restroom use and requiring students to run after removing clothing — no matter how such actions are framed — they all far exceed the reasonable scope of education.
The essence of education lies in guidance and cultivation, not in extracting performance through fear and obedience. If basic human dignity cannot be guaranteed, so-called “training” does nothing more than harm.
Even more concerning is that Weng’s case is not an isolated incident, but a structural issue long present in certain athletic training cultures. Within power imbalances, students often have no space to refuse.
When coaches control participatory opportunities, resource allocation and future career prospects, it is not that these young athletes do not want to say no, but that they dare not decline.
Such a training culture has rationalized many improper practices, even allowing them to be regarded as a price to pay for success. It must be said clearly that no accomplishment should ever be built upon the wounds of children.
When young athletes are forced to quit — or even experience psychological crises — because they can no longer endure training, it is not an individual tragedy, but a warning sign of systemic failure.
It is essential to conduct a rigorous review and seek accountability. Neither the school’s internal investigation mechanism nor oversight by educational authorities should remain merely procedural.
Particularly in cases involving gender equality and bodily autonomy, assessments must take into consideration the reality of power asymmetry rather than solely relying on whether there was explicit coercion.
At the same time, the Union of Taiwanese Teachers calls on all stakeholders engaged in advocating for physical education to establish clearer institutional frameworks — including mechanisms for identifying unfit coaches, interschool reporting systems and concrete, practical training guidelines grounded in sports science — so that parents can understand them and institutions can effectively enforce them. Only through such reforms could similar incidents be prevented from recurring.
In addition to holding those responsible accountable, it is necessary to be sympathetic to the circumstances faced by students and their parents. Every parent who sends their child into an athletic program does so with hope and trust, and every hard-working student is pursuing their dreams.
Education should serve as a source of support for these students, not a burden that crushes them. It is hoped that, moving forward, physical education could return to student-centered values, integrating professional training with human rights assurances so that children can grow in a safe and respectful environment.
True excellence does not arise from fear, but from understanding, respect and long-term companionship.
Pan Wei-yiu is a policymaker at the Taiwan Nation Alliance and president of the Union of Taiwanese Teachers.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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