Taiwan Sports Administration to remove gymnastics official after qualification controversy

Taiwan's Sports Administration has announced plans to remove the Secretary-General of the Chinese Taipei Gymnastics Association, Jiang Jian-dong, following a controversy involving two gymnasts from Pingtung, Pan Cai-chen and Li Jia-wei.

The athletes lost their opportunity to compete in the World Gymnastics Championships after the association unilaterally informed the International Gymnastics Federation that they would decline their substitute spots, citing administrative delays. The Sports Administration stated that the association failed to provide a complete explanation regarding decision-making authority and responsibility during a recent meeting.

Legislator Su Ching-chuan criticized the incident as a failure of long-standing sports reforms, noting that the administrative error effectively stripped the athletes of years of training. While the association issued an apology citing internal communication failures, Su questioned the attempt to shift responsibility toward coaches and athletes. The Sports Administration has demanded a full review report and the establishment of emergency notification mechanisms to ensure athletes and coaches are informed immediately of international qualification opportunities.