To keep on enhancing the professional knowledge and latest trend of the sports science industry, Tania Lee Xu Yar who has been a swimmer since young decided to further study in the Institute of Sports Sciences, the University of Taipei in 2018. Recently, she had been awarded the 2020 Outstanding Taiwan Scholarship Recipients Award among the 560 outstanding students from over 66 countries. In the award ceremony, Tania was commended for her excellent academic performance and stellar records in the sports events. She mentioned that the financial difficulty is the biggest obstacle for her to pursue a Master's degree in sports science that she has been longing for. Being awarded the Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship in 2018, she was ecstatic and extremely grateful for this opportunity that finally made her dream come true. Tania described that the Taiwanese are the most gracious and happy people that she has met. Many people, who helped her to settle down has then became good friends of hers. She appreciates her academic advisor who always believes in her and expands her potentials by persuading her to join the swimming team after knowing that she was an ex-swimmer. During her practice in the swimming team, her coach, Mark Hsu, who is an ex-Olympian had always motivated her to do her best and break her limit. As a result, she has broken the games record and won the gold medal in the 200m Individual Medley in the 2019 Taiwan Intercollegiate Athletic Games. She added that her success in the competition was a team effort of the great coaching staff who believed in sports science and motivation. Tania admires the sports education in Taiwan which emphasizes the theory and concept of sports science so that the athletes could perform better with professional training, sufficient rest, and a balanced diet.
Tania (second from left) broke the games record and won the gold medal in the 200m Individual Medley in the 2019 Taiwan Intercollegiate Athletic Games.
Apart from the stellar record and achievement in swimming, Tania also gained a lot of professional knowledge and fruitful experience in her two years of study. She said that her academic advisor, Prof. Kuo Chia-Hua, who is also the Dean of College of Kinesiology at the University of Taipei created a melting pot of knowledge exchange by inviting panels of experts in sports science to give lectures and conduct seminars at the university. It’s such an unforgettable learning experience for her as she could gain knowledge from the experts without traveling internationally.
Tania (right) received her graduation certificate from her academic advisor, Prof. Kuo Chia-Hua (left), who is also the Dean of College of Kinesiology at the University of Taipei.
With a Master's degree in Sports Science, she is planning to maximize her expertise with her previous experience in sports nutrition to expand the sports performance and education in Malaysia after graduation. Meanwhile, she also hopes that she can work in a field where she can collaborate with Taiwanese universities and companies so that the sports industry in both places can be enhanced through knowledge and skills exchange. Charlin Chang, Director of the Education Division, pointed out that Taiwan has been attracting a lot of sportsmen and sportswomen to join events in Taiwan through promoting sports science and setting the September 9th as the National Sports Day to encourage regular exercises for all so as to build Taiwan an island of health and vitality. Since 2004, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has also been providing the Taiwan Scholarship to encourage outstanding international students to pursue their studies in Taiwan’s excellent universities. Apart from quality learning environment, the students can also immerse themselves in Taiwan’s rich culture and internationalized society to broaden their views and thus strengthen their abilities for the future.