AI-generated fake teams disrupted Taoyuan basketball tournament
The 2026 Taoyuan Cup 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament was disrupted after the contractor admitted using AI to generate fake team names and inflate registration numbers. The Taoyuan City Government, which had previously flagged the contractor for past contract violations, responded by investigating for fraud and seeking damages.
What happened
The 2026 Taoyuan Cup National 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, claiming 2,075 teams and nearly 8,000 participants, discovered that the contractor Changyang International Industrial Co., Ltd. had used AI to generate 'ghost teams' to inflate registration numbers.
Participants encountered multiple no-shows during matches and discovered that team names such as 'Fire Rocket Assault,' 'Rainstorm Back Court,' and 'Xuanwu Breakthrough' were AI-generated and not typical Taiwanese team names.
Reported impact
Players waited for matches that never occurred due to ghost teams failing to show up, and the tournament was disrupted by the large-scale fraudulent registrations.
The scandal exposed the Taoyuan City Government's review and supervision mechanisms as deficient.
Index analysis
The contractor had a history of contract violations, including owing China Telecom NT$2,288,000 after a court judgment, yet still passed government procurement review.
The contractor had previously organized events for Kaohsiung City Government, Tainan City Government, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's National Health Insurance Administration, and the Ministry of Interior in recent years.
Governance controls
The Taoyuan City Government stated it would pursue fraud charges against Changyang International, send the case to the Control Yuan for investigation, and seek damages.
The government announced it would report the contractor as a non-performing vendor under the Public Construction Commission mechanism to prevent future government contracts.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.