To ensure people's sports safety and consumer rights , the Sports Administration (SA) collaborates with local governments to conduct annual inspections of sports venues. The purpose is to provide consumers with a safe sports environment and protect their associated rights. The results of the 2023 annual assessment were announced on February 22, 2024. A total of 1,563 public and private sports venues nationwide underwent inspections, achieving an average conformity rate of 95.84%.

The SA released results of the 2023 inspections, covering various venues and facilities. Among them, 385 swimming pools achieved a conformity rate of 95.32%, while 549 fitness centers attained 95.08% conformity. Additionally, 524 venues selling fitness coaching courses reached a conformity rate of 97.14%, and 105 venues issuing gift vouchers achieved 95.24% conformity. Comparing these figures to the results from 2022, significant improvements are evident, with all categories surpassing a 90% conformity rate. Furthermore, for the three aforementioned categories of "swimming pool" , "fitness center" and "selling fitness coaching courses" , the number of operators inspected also increased compared to the previous year. Local governments place great importance on guiding sports venue operators to comply with swimming pool management regulations and standardized contract regulations. The SA will continue to support local governments in increasing the number of inspections each year and actively assist non-compliant operators to improve promptly to protect people's rights in sports consumption.

The targets of the sports venue inspection encompass swimming pools, fitness centers, and operators selling fitness coaching courses and issuing gift vouchers. The inspection covers various aspects, including venue safety, such as emergency first aid equipment and carbon monoxide poisoning inspections. Additionally, consumer contract safety is assessed. Fitness centers and sports venue operators involved in contracts for membership recruitment, coaching course sales or gift voucher issuance should ensure compliance with the Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of Standard Form Contracts.

Among the non-conforming items in this inspection, "swimming pools" had the most violations for failing to comply with relevant laws and regulations such as construction management, fire protection, air quality management, and business registration. In the "fitness center membership recruitment standardized contract" inspection, common violations included operators’ failure to clearly record start and end times, membership types, member rights, fee types, total contract amounts, and payment method-related information. For the inspection of the standardized contract, operators commonly failed to state contract termination notification and refund methods as required. In the inspection of "gift vouchers issued by sports venue operators", common violations included the absence of performance guarantees on the vouchers and operators charging handling fees that did not comply with regulations when vouchers were returned.

For operators found to be non-compliant after inspection by local governments, the SA has communicated with the respective local authorities to require improvements within a specified timeframe, as per Article 36 of the Consumer Protection Act. If the violations of operators pose a serious threat to consumers' lives, health, or property, immediate business suspension may be required. Failure to rectify the violations within the given deadline may result in fines under Article 56-1 or Article 58 of the same law. Continuous monitoring will be conducted to guide operators towards improvement. Operators that have not improved in the previous year will be listed as priority inspection and guidance targets for the current year. Those failing to pass inspections for two consecutive years without making necessary improvements within the specified timeframe may face appropriate actions by local governments in line with the Consumer Protection Act and relevant regulations to enhance sports safety for venue users. Additionally, this year's results will be announced concurrently with the list of operators failing inspections for two consecutive years to ensure the public's right to know and serve as crucial reference for sports consumption safety.

In addition, in view of the increasing emphasis on personal data protection by Taiwan’s people, consumer disputes and incidents have repeatedly occurred in the fitness industry in recent years. In order to guide the industry and protect the personal data file protection and consumer rights of consumers after joining fitness center memberships and purchasing coaching courses, in the inspections of fitness centers and fitness coaches in 2024, two inspection items were added by the SA: "Inspection related to personal data protection" and "Whether the operator has posted consumer warnings in the business premises"; local governments are also required to conduct inspections to enhance the protection of people’s rights and interests when spending money in sports venues.

The SA reminds consumers that before purchasing fitness coaching courses, gift vouchers, or buying fitness center memberships, they should ensure that the content of the vouchers or contract complies with the Mandatory Provisions to be Included in and Prohibitory Provisions of Standard Form Contracts. Consumers should also consider their own time, fitness, and financial ability when signing a contract, and carefully review the contract content to fully enjoy the health and happiness brought by exercise.