Digital Taiwan Lecture Series – Sports Diplomacy in Action: Taiwan–France Youth Exchange as a Gateway to Europe

In September 2025, Taiwan established its Ministry of Sports, marking a significant milestone in the country’s sports governance and international engagement. The new ministry reflects Taiwan’s ambition to promote a “Sport for All” society by encouraging greater public participation in physical activity while continuing to strengthen elite sports development. Beyond domestic policy objectives, the ministry also underscores Taiwan’s growing emphasis on sports diplomacy as a means of fostering international partnerships, enhancing people-to-people exchanges, and increasing Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.

For Taiwan, whose international participation often faces diplomatic constraints, sports offer a unique and inclusive avenue for engaging with like-minded partners around the world. Europe is a particularly promising partner in this regard. As a region with a rich sporting tradition, strong institutional support for sports development, and numerous middle-power democracies that share values of openness, inclusivity, and international cooperation, Europe presents valuable opportunities for Taiwan to expand its sports diplomacy.

This webinar explores the role of sports in advancing Taiwan’s relations with its international partners from different perspectives ranging from how Taiwanese society and government perceive this issue to the current development. The Sports Program in France under the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative would be examined as a case study to how youth mobility, educational exchange, and sporting collaboration can contribute to broader bilateral ties. The discussion aims to identify opportunities, challenges, and future directions for Taiwan–France and Taiwan–Europe cooperation through sports. 

Speakers:

Tzu-hsuan Chen (PhD, University of Wisconsin – Madison) is a Professor at Graduate Institute of Physical Education at the National Taiwan Sport University and the former President of the Taiwan Society of Sport Sociology. He is an advisory board member of the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA). He is also an award-winning columnist and sport commentator. His expertise includes sport and nationalism, mass media, pop culture and globalization.   

Cyril Savidan is a French sports consultant based between Paris and Taipei, specializing in public and international partnerships for sports organizations. 

He is Administrator of the Agency for the Development of Athletics in Europe (ADAE), an agency of European Athletics, supporting international cooperation and access to European Union opportunities. 

In March 2026, Cyril founded “Europe–Taiwan Sports Cooperation Association”, a non-profit organization dedicated to building bridges in the field of sport between Taiwan and Europe. The association supports national governments, sports federations, cities, universities, public authorities and individual initiatives in developing international sports cooperation projects. It facilitates exchanges, welcomes delegations, develops mobility programs, creates professional connections and helps stakeholders better understand structural and cultural differences between Europe and Taiwan. Through these activities, Cyril aims to use sport as a practical tool for international cooperation and to foster stronger, long-term connections between Europe and Taiwan.

Moderator: Yi-Chieh Chen, Research Fellow at ISDP’s Stockholm Taiwan Center