Ministry touts safer sports environment amendments
FOR THE BETTER: The changes aim to promote the sports’ industry’s growth, raise Taiwan’s global profile and ensure decisions reflect athletes’ needs, the sports ministry said
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
People would soon be able to verify the qualifications of sports coaches through an online inquiry system after the Executive Yuan approved proposed amendments to the National Sports Act (國民運動法) yesterday.
The Ministry of Sports said that it proposed the changes to ensure that children are protected and to prevent unqualified coaches from entering schools.
The amendments would list sexual assault, serious bullying, corporal punishment and instructing athletes to use banned substances as grounds for disqualification, elevating the provisions to the statutory level, the ministry said.
Officials speak during a news conference following an Executive Yuan meeting in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The government should deny certification, withhold licenses or revoke certifications of coaches, referees and other sports professionals deemed unfit, the amendments state.
The online system would allow people to search for coaches, referees and other sports professionals by name or certificate number, helping distinguish between people with the same name or those who have changed their names.
“We will work with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Justice to confirm and update the list of unfit coaches. Sports associations would be asked to investigate any isolated case first, and personnel involved in the case would be blocked from the investigation. Coaches would be removed immediately if it is ascertained that they broke the law,” Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) said.
The amendments would transform specialized school programs for student athletes, too.
Students in such classes follow the regular school curriculum while receiving additional, and often intensive, sports training.
The system is intended to develop athletes for interschool, national and international competitions, but it has faced concerns about balancing athletic training with academic education.
Schools should have a proper oversight mechanism that ensures students in sports-focused classes receive a well-rounded education, and avoid excessive training and competitions, the amendments state.
Additionally, sports-focused classes would not be allowed at elementary schools, and all existing sports-focused classes at that level would be transformed into sports clubs or community sports, they say.
“The reform does not ask children to give up sports. Rather, we want them to participate in sports in a gradual and step-by-step fashion. We also want students in sports-centered classes to have a normal education,” Lee said, adding that it would communicate with the Ministry of Education over the details of the policy.
The amendments would also authorize government agencies to allocate budgets, and provide venues, sports equipment, assistive device support and professionals for people with disabilities, the sports ministry said.
Sports events organizers would be encouraged to create inclusive competition categories, it added.
The changes aim to promote the sports industry’s growth, raise Taiwan’s global profile through sports diplomacy and international events, bolster the financial transparency and governance of sports organizations, and ensure decisions better reflect athletes’ needs, it said.
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