The scandal sparked widespread outrage on social media, with users labelling Zhou the "vampire" coach and demanding further action
A football coach at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taiwan has been accused of forcing students to donate blood in exchange for academic credits, according to a report by NDTV.
The accusations, reported by the South China Morning Post, were made public by a student named Jian, who claimed that women’s team coach Zhou Tai-ying, a prominent figure in the sport, coerced students into donating blood to meet the 32 credits needed for graduation.
Details of the incident
Jian revealed that she underwent over 200 blood donations during her time at NTNU, with the blood allegedly used for "on-campus research experiments" conducted by untrained personnel.
She described the process as gruelling, "Sometimes this involved continuous sampling for up to 14 days, on occasion three times a day, from 5 am to 9 pm."
Jian further shared her distress, stating, "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. "They even tried my wrist and failed. It was excruciating. I completely broke down. It took six tries before they finally succeeded!" Jian shared. She also posted a video of herself crying during the procedure.
Other student testimonies
Another unnamed student alleged that Coach Zhou bullied them into compliance and chose not to inform their parents to avoid upsetting them. The student said, “If my dad knew, he'd definitely go fight the coach. I just did not want them to be upset.”
Coach banned from university
On July 13, 2025, NTNU announced that Zhou Tai-ying had been sacked and banned from coaching any sports teams at the university.
Zhou issued a public apology, stating, "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, the university later removed the announcement and Zhou’s apology letter from its social media page.
The scandal sparked widespread outrage on social media, with users labelling Zhou the "vampire" coach and demanding further action. Local education authorities imposed an administrative penalty on NTNU for its handling of the situation, as the controversy continues to grow.