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ORIGINAL ARTICLE：本校公共事務中心 (2021.08.03)

 (English Version Powered by ChatGPT, Edited by Serena H.)

“In high-level competitions like the Olympics, when athletes are matched in physical fitness, skill, and tactics, the key to performance and victory often lies in psychological factors.” To prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, Taiwan’s National Training Center assembled a team of domestic sports science experts, including Professor Chi Li-Kang, Dean of the NTNU College of Sports and Recreation, who served as Deputy Convener of the group, and played the role of a mental coach, offering professional psychological training and consultation to help athletes overcome competition stress and unlock their full potential to achieve outstanding results.

Professor Chi holds a PhD in Sports Psychology from Purdue University in the U.S. Since returning to Taiwan in 1993, he has not only served in academia but has also been deeply involved in the psychological training and counseling of Taiwan’s Asian Games and Olympic athletes.

He has accompanied national teams to five Asian Games, four Olympic Games, as well as various World Cups and World Championships. As President of the Taiwan Society of Sport and Exercise Psychology in 2003, he promoted training programs and internships for sports psychology consultants, fostering many new professionals in the field. Currently, the four full-time sports psychology consultants at the National Training Center were all trained and certified through the association’s program.

Since the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opened on July 23, the Taiwanese delegation has achieved an unprecedented record of 2 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals, with more coming in. Taiwan’s men’s archery team won silver in the team event and placed fourth individually. Beyond the hard work of athletes and coaches, the sports science team played a critical role.

Chen Juo-Yun, who served as psychological consultant to the men’s archery team, was one of Professor Chi’s doctoral students at NTNU. While accompanying the team, she applied various psychological techniques such as imagery training, relaxation methods, and goal setting, along with daily observation of the athletes to provide timely feedback.

She applied her academic expertise in imagery training to practical competitive environments, simulating scenarios encountered in past international competitions in combination with AR systems and simulated matches provided by the National Training Center, to help athletes—who couldn’t compete internationally due to the pandemic—experience the atmosphere of major tournaments.

Professor Chi also provided tailored psychological training and consultation for gymnast Tang Chia-Hung and karateka Wen Tzu-Yun at the Tokyo Olympics. For Tang Chia-Hung, in addition to regular psychological counseling, he helped develop focus strategies for both pre-competition and during events, which were repeatedly practiced during training to enhance Tang’s focus and confidence in competition, and reduce competition-induced anxiety.

Tang ultimately finished 7th in the all-around gymnastics event, setting a new national record for Taiwan in that category, highlighting the important role of sports psychology in elite performance.

Using sports science to assist elite athletic training has become a global trend. Professors from NTNU’s College of Sports and Recreation have actively participated in preparing Taiwan’s Olympic athletes. Their efforts have helped Taiwan achieve its best Olympic performance in history.

Professor Chi believes that sports science not only supports athletes in physical, tactical, and technical training, but also boosts performance when combined with psychological skills training, which helps athletes unlock their full competitive potential.

He hopes to see the establishment of a National Sports Science Center in the future to further assist Taiwan’s athletes in achieving even greater success.

(Source: College of Sports and Recreation / Editor: Huang Le-Xian / Proofreader: Hu Shih-Tse)