Taiwan Cooperative Bank Heavily Invested in Sports 栽培奧運獎牌選手 多有公股銀行支持

Badminton stars Tai Tzu-ying, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin had their career defining moments in the Tokyo Olympics and all three are supported by state-owned banks. Their good performance has generated discussions about the possibility of sponsorship provided by private enterprises.
 

Taiwan celebrated when badminton star Tai Tzu-ying won a silver medal in the women's singles event at the 2020 Olympics on Aug. 1. Tai is not only an athlete but also a Taiwan Cooperative Bank employee. The bank invests at least NT$100 million every year in its table tennis, badminton, and baseball teams. The bank recruited Tai for its badminton team when she was 15. She signed a contract to become a preparatory team member and started training hard. The bank's badminton athletes include Tai, Chou Tien-chen, and Wang Tzu-wei. Its table tennis athletes include Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching, the bronze medal winners in the mixed doubles competition at the 2020 Olympics, and Chuang Chih-yuan.

Chou Chun-lung, Deputy General Manager, Taiwan Cooperative Bank："We develop athletes who perform well during youth competitions and have serious potential."

Meanwhile, Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, who won a gold medal in the men's doubles event at the Olympics, are part of Land Bank's badminton team. Badminton players have the opportunity to become preparatory team members and eventually ascend to official team members by making the round of 16 at the national junior high school games and senior high school games. For example, Land Bank signed Wang when he was a high school sophomore. He received NT$6,000 a month in nutritional funds, and the bank sponsored him to play in overseas tournaments. Players only need to finish in the top three in a tournament or rank in the top 50 in the world to become an official team member. As official team members, they receive salaries and benefits in line with those offered to bank employees.

Voice of Li Sung-yuan, Head Coach, Land Bank Badminton Team："The first objective is to become an official bank employee, which frees them from worries as they have a guaranteed job. If they finish in the top three, then the nutritional funds start at NT$12,000. If they perform exceptionally well, then they qualify for the maximum in nutritional funds. For preparatory team members, that is NT$38,000."

Land Bank badminton team head coach Li Sung-yuan said the monthly base salary plus nutritional funds for first-rate athletes is at least NT$100,000. The athletes are also freed from worries by becoming bank employees. Pommel horse silver medal winner Lee Chih-kai is sponsored by Hua Nan Commercial Bank. Li Sung-yuan says it's not enough to be sponsored solely by a state-owned bank. It is hoped that this sponsorship is only the starting point, and will attract other enterprises to join to strengthen athletics programs.

為台灣拿下羽球東奧女單銀牌，世界球后戴資穎感動許多國人，而小戴除了選手身分，她還是合作金庫銀行的職員，合庫銀每年至少斥資1億元，投入桌球、羽球、棒球，小戴15歲就被合庫羽球隊相中，簽約成為預備隊員並大力培養。合庫的代表選手，包括戴資穎、周天成、王子維，此外，桌球隊旗下有混雙銅牌的林昀儒、鄭怡靜，以及莊智淵等人。

合作金庫銀行副總經理 周俊隆表示：「我們從青少年的賽事當中，去發掘這些表現優異，然後具有發展潛力的這些選手。」

勇奪羽球男雙金牌的「麟洋配」，王齊麟跟李洋則隸屬土銀羽球隊。至於如何脫穎而出，被羽球隊相中成為預備隊員，一路往上爬，成為正式隊員，選手要在國、高中的全中運打進前16名，以王齊麟為例，高中一年級被土銀簽下，每月可領6000元營養金，土銀出資贊助出國比賽，選手只要打進甲組前三名，或者世界排名前50名，就能錄取正式隊員，薪資、福利比照銀行員。

土銀羽球隊總教練 李松遠表示：「第一目標，都是先拚進正式行員，他無後顧之憂，工作有保障，如果甲組的話，（營養金)1萬2千元起跳。他們如果成績優異的話，最高，就是我們營養費的級距，像預備隊員的話，最高可能就是3萬8。」

李松遠表示，若是頂級選手，本俸加上營養金，每月收入上看10萬元，選手也因為有行員身分，沒有後顧之憂。至於剛拿下鞍馬銀牌的李智凱，背後也有華南銀行贊助，李松遠認為，單靠公股銀行支持還不夠，藉由拋磚引玉，吸引企業加入，才能壯大運動產業。