Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi announced on Oct. 7 that the sport's world governing body has restored both athletes' places, after the federation's secretary-general gave up their reserve slots and the sports ministry removed him.
The United Daily News reported that Pingtung gymnasts Lee Chia-wei and Pan Tsai-chen have regained their eligibility for this year's world artistic gymnastics championships. Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi announced it on Facebook on the evening of Oct. 7, saying official notice had come from the world gymnastics body. Both are 17 and, according to earlier reports, earned reserve places by points, Lee on floor and Pan on uneven bars.
광고 문의 · 300×250How the places were lost
According to earlier reports by outlets including People News, the world body notified Taiwan of the reserve slots in the early hours of Aug. 20, Taiwan time, and asked for an answer within about 25 hours. Secretary-General Chiang Chien-tung of the Chinese Taipei Gymnastics Association convened no meeting and told neither coaches nor athletes, instructing staff to reply that Taiwan would not take part; the association said it believed the administrative steps could not be completed in time. The coach learned of it on Aug. 27 only after asking, by which time the slots had gone to athletes from other countries.
On Sept. 9 the association issued a statement blaming the coach for the notification and saying the pair's results fell short of national team thresholds, drawing criticism. On the 10th Pan's grandmother, accompanied by legislator Hsu Fu-kuei, filed a complaint with the Pingtung prosecutors alleging breach of trust by Chiang. On the 11th the Ministry of Sports found the affair had materially affected the athletes' right to compete, started follow-up measures under Article 43 of the National Sports Act and removed Chiang, while logging the matter as a deficiency in 2027 funding reviews, demanding a review report and asking for a mechanism for reserve slots and urgent notices in international events.
Support now that eligibility is back
Chou said every step, from winning back eligibility to arranging funds and administrative procedures, was hard won. The county government accompanied the athletes and coaches from the outset and coordinated with the central government and other agencies; it also helped complete the correction of results data, which has been sent to the gymnastics association to move entry procedures forward.
The Ministry of Sports will help with competition costs, and Pingtung will use its county sports development fund to support logistics and supplies. Chou said her main concern is letting the athletes and coaches prepare in peace, and she hoped the two would compete bravely with the public's backing and win honor for Taiwan and Pingtung.
Earlier reports put the championships in Rotterdam in October, but the latest United Daily News report did not give the exact dates, the athletes' events or the specifics of how eligibility was restored. The association's responsibility and how to prevent a repeat will remain points of public attention.
