Author(s): CHIN, H.P., Institution: 國立高雄師範大學, Country: TAIWAN, Abstract-ID: 621

In examining the evolution of Taiwanese womens sports in the post-war era, notable advancements are evident not only in the increasing number of female athletes but also in their remarkable achievements. Taiwanese women have emerged as a pivotal force for the nation in international competitions. Despite this significant historical development, there exists a notable gap in comprehensive documentation. The names, results, and performances of these athletes have largely been overlooked, underscoring the need for a more thorough record of their contributions to the sporting landscape. Hence, the focus of this research is to examine the involvement of Taiwanese female athletes in the Olympics during the post-war era. This study utilizes a historical research method to gather, organize, and analyze pertinent historical materials. The objective is to thoroughly investigate and offer explanations for the participation of Taiwanese female athletes in the Olympic Games. The results show: 1. Numbers of participants: till 2020 Tokyo Olympics (exclude the absence of 1976, 1980), the total numbers of Taiwanese female athletes is 305 persons, 35.63% of the total delegates. And the number of female participants not only shows a consistent increase over each Olympics, but also surpassed Taiwanese male athletes for the first time in 1996. In the 2000 Olympics, female participation even reached 61.81%. Since 2012, the ratio of male and female athletes maintains equal. 2. Results: Taiwanese female athletes have cumulated 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 12 Bronze medals at the Olympics, largely outweigh their male counterparts of 2 Gold, 7 Silver and 5 Bronze medals. Taiwanese female athletes have also secured medals in each Olympics since 1988. 3. Gold medalists: Taekwondo athlete Chen Shih-chin secured Taiwans first gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Weightlifters Chen Wei-ling, Hsu Shu-ching, and Kuo Hsing-chun further contributed a total of four gold medals between 2008 and 2021. In general, together with the promotion and advancement of gender equality awareness in the Olympic Games, the gender distribution has become rather equal. The participants of Taiwan also reflect a similar trend. Meanwhile, upon deeper analysis, the results indicate that only at these Olympics games of 1948-1964 and 1984, the percentage of Taiwanese female athletes was slightly lower than the total ratio. At the year 2000 event, the percentage was significantly higher than the total of 38.20%. In addition, Taiwanese female athletes have demonstrated they have better chances to win medals at sports such as weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis, badminton, and archery.