Legislature passes National Sports Law amendment: sports associations' directors, supervisors must have at least 1/3 of one gender

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan has passed an amendment to the National Sports Law, mandating that specific sports organizations must ensure at least one-third of their board members and supervisors are of each gender. This move aims to guarantee the right of any gender to participate in the decision-making processes of sports groups.

The amendment, proposed by Democratic Progressive Party legislators, requires single-gender representation to be no less than one-third of the total number of directors and supervisors in sports associations. However, exceptions can be made under special circumstances with approval from the central competent authority. The specifics of these special circumstances, improvement timelines, and procedures will be determined by the central authority.

To support the establishment of the new Ministry of Sport, the amendment also reclassifies the competent authority under the National Sports Law to the Ministry of Sport. Furthermore, the law now stipulates that governments at all levels should widely establish diverse and friendly public sports facilities and provide age-appropriate equipment to promote public engagement in sports activities.

The amendment also addresses the implementation details of the law, requiring consultation with the central indigenous affairs authority for matters concerning traditional indigenous sports. The provisions for public sports facilities include conditions for establishment, specifications, safety measures, personnel guidelines, emergency procedures, equipment inspection, insurance, and evaluation.