By applying human centered concepts of care, NPUST is cultivating the individual and group learning capabilities of students and helping them develop creative skills and solid, empathetic character. As part of this endeavor, the “2022 Youth Olympic Experience Camp” was held on January 6, 2022.
NPUST, which is dedicated to university social responsibility, invited students from National Nei-Pu Senior Agricultural and Industrial Vocational High School, Chaozhou High School, Datong High School and Gaotai High School to participate in the camp which includes a variety of lively Olympic-themed lessons.
Taiwan’s Olympic silver medalist, Yang Yung-wei, was invited to share his life story. Yang, who is currently the No.1 ranking judoka (judo wrestler) in the world, was welcomed by NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai and other university representatives, including Physical Education Director Shiou-Chin Lin and the NPUST representative of the 2019 International Olympic Academy (IOA) youth camp, Yi-Jen Yang.
They also welcomed the Athletes Based Career Development Association Chairman, Chuan Yu Tseng, who gave a lecture on the core values of the Olympic Games and National Diving Team Coach, Tzu-hsiang Lin, who shared on the Olympic Protocol.
Zephon Thompson and Cheng-fang Sheng Hsieh of the “Taiwan Morningstar Association for Multicultural Public Welfare Action” led the students on an activity which taught them about international sports culture. From there, PunchPower CEO, Sheng-hua Li, used a boxing activity to teach the students the spirit of never giving up.
In his opening speech, NPUST President Chang-Hsien Tai said “the most important purpose of today’s event is to share with you the spiritual journeys that advanced athletes and Olympic contenders take in their careers. Although winning a medal in the competition field is worth celebrating, what is more important is the spirit of cooperation one shares with partners during the process. Athletes can help each other and empathize with one another. It is not only about the ethics of competition on the sports field, but also the attitudes students establish to face various obstacles in their future lives.”
NPUST’s PE Director Shiou-Chin Lin said: “Through the organization of the event, students can participate in lectures and experiential courses to encourage and enrich themselves and be reminded to never forget the spirit of sportsmanship. The activity reflects the Olympic spirit of ‘mutual understanding’, ‘friendship’, ‘solidarity’ and ‘fair competition’”. Fu-Tsai Liu, executive committee member of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee said “I am very happy to come to NPUST. I have heard about the beauty of your campus—and coming here today, I see it deserves the reputation its earned. I hope the conference will be complete success.”
Lectures were held in the morning. The chairman of the Athletes Based Career Development Association, Chuan Yu Tseng, who has written stories based on interviews he made with more than 150 top athletes, used examples from the Olympics in Japan to share on the core values of the Olympic Games. Through the lecture, students learned how the Olympic spirit is about active participation and the radiance of humanity— not just winning medals. Using an easy-to-follow approach, National diving team coach, Tzu-hsiang Lin, explained the current situation of Taiwan’s participation in international competitions and the “Olympic Protocol”.
The world’s number one judo master, Yang Yung-wei, shared with the participants about the influence his mother and brother had on him when getting into the world of judo. He also talked about the ups and downs he experienced on his way to the top. By sharing his life story, he hopes that people will learn to not be afraid of difficulties, and that the dedicated pursuit of their dreams will become the nutrients of their future lives. In the afternoon the activities transitioned to experiential teaching and British Sports Exchange Ambassador Zephon Thompson and the British Sports educator Mrs. Cheng-Fang Sheng Hsieh played rugby with the students and encouraged a spirit of unity and cooperation amongst them. Finally, PunchPower CEO, Sheng-hua Li, used a boxing activity to teach the students the importance of never giving up.
Since COVID began its global disruptions, the world has been shrouded in a shadow of gloom. Yet in 2021, the Tokyo Olympics allowed athletes from all over the world to demonstrate a spirit of perseverance and show that they are not afraid of the pandemic by bravely striding into the competition field. Regardless of nationality or ethnicity, through a spirit of fair competition and mutual encouragement a light broke through the gloom, appropriately reflecting what former South African President Mandela once said: “sports have the power to change the world!”. In Japan, Taiwan won 2 golds, 4 silvers and 6 bronzes, and had its best performance to date. This aroused the enthusiasm of the whole country and created somewhat of a sports boom. Yet, the Olympic spirit is not only about competitive achievement—it is also about people all over the world expressing humanistic ideas. Just the same, the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher and Stronger” is not only a goal for competition, but an attitude for life. And so, hopes are that the students participating in the camp will continue to remember the sportsman spirit and persist towards their dreams on their future journeys.
