‘Vampire coach’: Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan’s culture of obedience

TAIPEI – A case involving a “vampire coach” who forced her football team to give blood samples for research – in exchange for academic credits – has shone the spotlight on Taiwan’s deep-seated culture of obedience to figures of authority.

This is especially evident in the high-pressure world of sports, experts say, where abusive practices by those with authority, such as coaches or associations, are sometimes overlooked in the name of obedience and discipline. 

In the case of Chou Tai-ying, her status as Taiwan’s former football star likely fed the perception that she was untouchable, making it even harder for her students to resist or speak up, noted Professor Yu Jun-wei from the National Taiwan University of Sport.

Chou, 61, has admitted to coercing female football players at National Taiwan Normal University – a highly regarded institution in Taipei – into giving blood for research projects as a condition to earn academic credits – or face failing grades. It is unclear how many victims, who were typically aged 18 to 20, were involved over a five-year period.

One football player reportedly provided at least 200 blood samples in order to graduate in time. On many occasions, blood was drawn by people without medical qualifications, which could pose major health risks such as ruptured blood vessels and infections. 

The scandal eventually came to light in November 2024 after being exposed by a lawmaker. 

On July 19, Chou admitted to enlisting senior students with no medical or nursing credentials to help draw blood from members of her team.

Making a deep bow at a media conference, the 61-year-old, dubbed “vampire coach” by Taiwanese media, apologised and said: “I have let you down in my duty as coach, and I hope that you will forgive me.” 

She claimed that the blood samples – taken between 2019 and 2024 – were intended for research on player performance. This required up to three blood samples per day from each player for 14 consecutive days. 

“Because I had only a few players, and they were often injured, I was motivated to conduct the research in hopes of helping them,” she added, without providing more details. 

Little is known about the projects, except that they received funding of around NT$9 million (S$391,400) every year from the National Science and Technology Council, which supports major scientific and technological research and development programmes. According to local media reports, Chou allegedly collected some of the research subsidies intended for the student participants as “team funds”.

Chou has since been suspended and her coaching licence has been revoked. She was also fined NT$500,000 for enlisting people with no medical qualifications to draw blood. In addition, she has been named a suspect in a criminal inquiry, where investigators will decide if her actions constitute criminal coercion. 

The university was also fined NT$1.1 million for campus bullying and ethics violations.

The case has gripped headlines for weeks, but one question continues to baffle many: Why did the victims stay silent for so long?

“For a student athlete, teachers, coaches, referees, schools, associations and senior students are all objects of obedience,” said Dr Chen Tzu-hsuan, a sports sociologist at National Taiwan Sport University. 

“One cannot show resistance to such senior figures, simply because they are older or more experienced.”

Prof Yu said Chou, who was nicknamed Magic Feet in the late 1970s, had led the women’s football team to multiple major victories, including the Asian Cup championship three times. 

“Ask any older Taiwanese and they would have heard of her, that’s how famous she is. But that probably also made her believe that she could get away with doing whatever she wanted,” Prof Yu told The Straits Times.

The case blew up when lawmaker Chen Pei-yu produced testimony from one of the victims, Ms Chien Chi-sheng, who spoke up after she graduated in 2024. More recently, the 20-year-old shared an old video clip of herself sobbing in pain while getting her blood drawn. 

“It was truly blood and sweat for credits... By the eighth consecutive day of blood draws, they could barely find a vein in either arm,” Ms Chien wrote in an accompanying post on social networking platform Threads in early July.

“They even tried my wrist and failed. It was excruciating. I completely broke down,” she added in the post.

Speaking to reporters at a media conference on July 15, Ms Chien explained that neither she nor her team members ever dared to challenge their coach for fear of repercussions. 

“The coach used to say, ‘You can make your own decisions, and I will also make my decisions’,” she said, adding that if they resisted her, she could expel them from school.

As for parental support, Prof Yu said it was not uncommon for parents of student athletes to also defer to figures of authority. 

“Many student athletes come from underprivileged backgrounds, and their parents either have no time to care for them, or simply do not care,” he noted. 

When Ms Chien told her father about the ordeal and suggested filing a report about her coach, her father advised her to “be patient” and focus more on her grades. It was only when the case blew up in the news that he acknowledged the severity of the issue, she said. 

Prof Yu added: “Some parents might view the actions of teachers and coaches as justified or necessary for training purposes.”

This is seen in the

infamous 2021 incident

of a Taiwanese judo coach who slammed a seven-year-old to the ground nearly 30 times in full view of other adults, including the boy’s uncle. Despite the boy screaming in pain and vomiting at one point, the coach did not stop; the adults did not speak up either.

The boy suffered severe brain haemorrhaging and died two months later.

Prof Yu said that while it will take years for this culture of obedience to change, the blood-drawing case could prompt some self-reflection among sports educators.

“At the very least, I think sports teachers and coaches will be more cautious about how they work with their students,” he said.