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Taiwan football coach accused of forcing students to donate blood for graduation credits: 'Could barely find a vein'
A university coach in Taiwan was accused of coercing students into hundreds of blood donations in exchange for graduation credits.
A women’s football coach at a top Taiwanese university has been accused of coercing students into excessive blood donations in exchange for academic credits, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The revelation came to light after a student, surnamed Jian, from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), publicly accused 61-year-old coach Zhou Tai-ying, a well-known figure in Taiwan’s football circles, of compelling team members to undergo repeated blood sampling under the threat of academic repercussions.
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“Blood and sweat for credit”
According to SCMP, Jian claimed that blood donations were directly linked to the 32 academic credits required for graduation. Students who refused allegedly risked expulsion or were threatened with being barred from graduating. Jian stated that she endured more than 200 blood-draw sessions during her time at NTNU, some stretching over 14 consecutive days with up to three samples taken daily between 5 am and 9 pm.
“It was truly blood and sweat for credit. I was practically boiling with rage! By the eighth consecutive day of blood draws, they could barely find a vein in either arm,” she said. “They even tried my wrist and failed. It was excruciating. I completely broke down. It took six tries before they finally succeeded!” she added, also sharing a video of herself crying during the procedure.
Untrained personnel and misused subsidies
SCMP further reported that the blood was drawn by untrained personnel under the guise of “on-campus research experiments.” Research subsidies meant for student participants were allegedly collected by Zhou as “team funds.”
The case has prompted other victims to share their experiences online. One unnamed student revealed she took a leave of absence due to persistent bullying from Zhou. “If my dad knew, he’d definitely go fight the coach,” she wrote, adding that her father passed away before she could confide in him. “Forgiveness? Maybe in the next life. My college years were supposed to be happy and full of promise, but looking back now, all I feel is disgust.”
Coach dismissed, apology later removed
On July 13, the university announced it had dismissed Zhou from her administrative and coaching roles and barred her from leading any future teams. The university also shared a handwritten apology letter from Zhou, in which she stated, “I sincerely apologise for the harm caused to the students involved, to the faculty, and the university’s reputation. I deeply regret the emotional distress caused to the students and want to say sorry to all of you.”
However, both the statement and apology were later removed from NTNU’s social media platforms. The motive behind the blood collection and how Zhou benefited remain unclear.
Local education authorities have issued an administrative penalty to NTNU, instructing the university to take corrective measures.
