Taichung Sports Centers See 400 Injuries in 1.5 Years, 120 Requiring Ambulances

Taichung city councilor He Wen-hai has raised concerns over safety at the city's public sports centers, reporting a high number of injuries. Between January 2023 and July 2024, nine sports centers recorded 400 injury incidents, with 120 cases severe enough to require ambulance transport.

He Wen-hai pointed out that the Beitun Sports Center, which recently opened, has already seen 10 injuries. The North District Sports Center reported the highest number of injuries with 64 cases, followed by Tanzih with 53 and Fengyuan with 51. Even newer facilities like Qingshui and Taiping, which opened less than a year ago, have recorded 20 and 28 injuries respectively.

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From last year to July this year, nine sports centers in the city had as many as 400 injury incidents, and the newly opened Beitun Sports Center has already had 10 injury incidents, which is a very high proportion.

The councilor questioned whether the centers' staff adequately managed safety or if users were unfamiliar with equipment. He urged the sports bureau to review the operational status of each center and address issues of assistance and compensation for the injured.

In response, Taichung's Sports Bureau Director You Zhi-xiang stated that most injuries were minor, such as sprains or abrasions from playing sports, and did not require hospitalization. He acknowledged that some injuries occurred due to improper use of sports equipment. The bureau pledged to continue supervising operators and reinforce preventive and emergency response measures.

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Most people sprained or scraped themselves while playing sports at the sports center, so they did not need to be sent to the hospital. There are also situations where people need to be sent to the hospital due to carelessness when using sports equipment.