Taiwanese taekwondo athletes once performed well at international tournaments, but that has changed in recent years. A group of dedicated coaches and young athletes are now fighting to rejuvenate Taiwan’s taekwondo at the grassroots level.
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00:00These high school athletes are training to become Taiwan's next generation of Taekwondo stars.
00:06They have been honing their skills under the watchful eye of national Taekwondo legend,
00:10Tzeng Licheng.
00:11Tzeng won Olympic bronze at the 2012 London Games.
00:14She's since settled down in rural Hualien in eastern Taiwan,
00:18and has dedicated her time to coaching.
00:30She tours schools around Hualien, training and mentoring young athletes.
00:42Among her pupils is 14-year-old Tzeng Jiale.
00:45He has trained for two and a half years,
00:47and like his coach says, Taekwondo has given him a chance to better his life.
00:52Most of Tzeng's pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds,
01:01meaning winning competitions could mean big things for their families.
01:05And Tzeng says Taekwondo can offer even more for these kids.
01:08When I saw these kids open their eyes to Taekwondo,
01:13I was so moved.
01:15I wanted to show them that life is full of hope.
01:19In the 1980s and 1990s,
01:21Taiwanese athletes performed well in international Taekwondo championships.
01:25When Taekwondo became an Olympic sport in 2000,
01:28countries around the world began to invest more in training,
01:31creating more competition.
01:32In the 2020 Tokyo Games,
01:34Taiwan had four Taekwondo athletes.
01:36Among them, Luo Jialing,
01:38who won bronze in the women's under-57 kilogram category.
01:41But in this year's Paris Games,
01:43an injured Luo was Taiwan's only representative.
01:46Huang Yuren, who competed in the Tokyo Games,
01:49says Taiwan has talent,
01:51but aspiring professional Taekwondo athletes
01:53often lack the necessary funds and support.
01:56They don't have the money,
01:59or the time,
02:01or even the support.
02:04So in terms of the scoring system,
02:07we are still far behind.
02:09Only a few competitive athletes can get points.
02:12No one else can.
02:13The former head coach of Taiwan's national Taekwondo team
02:16says more support needs to be given to coaches
02:18to develop homegrown talent.
02:20And there should be a more flexible elimination system
02:23on the national team,
02:24allowing aspiring athletes more opportunities
02:26to vie for a spot.
02:28For example, if an adult national team player
02:31doesn't perform well,
02:32how can we replace him?
02:34So that the current national team players
02:36can be more vigilant.
02:38And for the youth team,
02:40I can replace the national team players.
02:43In recent years,
02:44Taiwan's National Sports Training Center
02:46has improved coach salaries and athlete allowances
02:49for the national Taekwondo team.
02:51But youth coaches say
02:52until there are enough resources for young athletes,
02:55Taiwan won't regain its competitive edge.
02:57For the time being,
02:58coaches like Zeng remain at the forefront
03:01of cultivating the next generation
03:03of Taiwan's Taekwondo talent.
03:05Chris Ma and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.