A former gymnastics coach of Olympic bronze medalist Tang Chia-hung (唐嘉鴻) has been suspended for two years by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) following an investigation into the alleged bullying of students.
In a statement issued yesterday, NTNU said it had suspended Weng Shih-hang (翁士航), an associate professor in the Department of Sport and Kinesiology, for two years and terminated its contract with Mai Liu Hsiang-han (麥劉湘涵), Weng's assistant coach.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
She would not be eligible for employment at NTNU for two years, it added.
The decisions have been submitted to the Ministry of Education for review, NTNU said, adding that it has zero tolerance for bullying.
However, at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Humanistic Education Foundation executive director Feng Chiao-lan (馮喬蘭) said the punishments are disproportionate, as the investigation committee failed to account for Weng's position of authority.
"The committee said it was Mai Liu Hsiang-han who beat the students, but if it was her personal behavior, why did no one ask Weng for help? Because they all knew it was about Weng," Feng said.
"We regret that during the investigation, many of the children's parents believed this was part of normal training. This is the most serious problem," she added.
The students involved ranged from preschool-aged children to NTNU students, Feng said.
In a recorded testimony played at the news conference, an anonymous student said she had regarded Weng as her "second father" when she entered NTNU, adding that he had exploited students' admiration to control and humiliate them under the pretext of character building and discipline.
She also accused Weng of inappropriate physical contact, saying that when female students performed bench presses, he would repeatedly place his hand on the center of their chest while criticizing their lack of strength, without recognizing the inappropriate nature of his actions.
In more severe cases, coaches forced students to place sharp objects such as scissors under other underage students, cornered them and slapped them in public, the student said.
Also in attendance was Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜), who referenced a controversy last year involving blood sampling on NTNU's women's soccer team.
Chen said they had learned from the NTNU Student Congress that a group of student gymnasts sought help when the blood sampling case came to light.
"Many athletes feel indebted to their coaches. This is a major dilemma in the world of sports," Chen said.
The dual role of coaches as both mentors and sources of harm has created a complex environment in Taiwan, she said, calling for sweeping reforms to the nation's sports training system.
At a separate press event, Weng denied the allegations.
While acknowledging that he had used harsh language with students, Weng said he had never beaten them and had maintained good communication with their parents, expressing hope that the Ministry of Education would clarify what he described as a misunderstanding.
Many parents attended Weng's event in support, saying his strict training methods were based on high expectations rather than abuse.
Meanwhile, Tang, who won a bronze medal on the horizontal bar at the 2024 Paris Olympics, issued a statement through his agency, saying he had parted ways with Weng after the Paris Games to pursue further improvement.
He said he had no knowledge of the matter and declined to comment while the case remains under investigation, adding that he hopes Taiwan could establish a better training environment and talent development system for gymnastics.
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