Taipei Asian Judo Open Kicks Off July 11, Sisters Shen Yi-chun and Shen Yi-hsi Aim for Championship

(CNA reporter Li Chien-chung, Taipei, July 7) The 2026 Taipei Asian Judo Open will take place on July 11 and 12 at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium. This year has set a record with 243 athletes participating. Among them, local sisters Shen Yi-chun and Shen Yi-hsi are competing together, hoping to win the championship.

Since applying to become an Olympic qualifying event in 2013, the Taipei Asian Judo Open has become the best stage for domestic emerging talents to accumulate international competition experience. This year is also one of the qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

A total of 243 athletes from 23 countries are participating this season, with the host Taiwan sending 54 strong contenders to vie for the championship. At today's press conference, Olympic athletes Yang Yung-wei and Lin Chen-hao were also invited to appear and cheer on their younger counterparts.

Yang Yung-wei recalled, "I remember being very nervous the first time I participated in the Taipei Open, but it was also a great experience that became nourishment for my future international competitions." Lin Chen-hao laughed and said, "I've actually forgotten what it felt like to compete for the first time, I just knew I was very nervous."

The domestic judo sister duo, Shen Yi-chun and Shen Yi-hsi, will be participating in this event for the fourth time. The two sisters practice together regularly. Although they occasionally argue, they are each other's best confidantes.

Sister Shen Yi-chun, competing in the 52kg category, told CNA reporters, "Since we are in different weight classes, we warm up together before the competition. But when it's time to weigh in and prepare for the match, we give each other an encouraging look. There's no need to say anything special."

Shen Yi-chun mentioned that because her father also specialized in judo, she decided to take up a sport when she graduated from elementary school and entered junior high school, thus entering the world of judo. Her sister followed her sister all the way.

The sisters are only one year apart and have a very good relationship. After graduating from the National Taiwan Sport University, Shen Yi-chun went to a Japanese university as an exchange student, balancing her judo career. Younger sister Shen Yi-hsi laughed and said, "I cried for a whole day when my sister left. I felt like I had lost a very close friend."

Shen Yi-chun said that after going to Japan, she discovered that judo has more details and nuances to pay attention to. "The overall atmosphere is also very different from Taiwan. I thought that while I'm still an athlete, I should experience more to have no regrets in my judo career." (Edited by Li Heng-shan) 1150707

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