Top women’s golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) is mulling switching her allegiance away from Taiwan because she is unhappy about the government’s neglect of the sport.
In a statement issued yesterday, the world No. 2 accused the government of being indifferent toward helping host a Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament this year in Taiwan.
“We fought for and finally obtained the right to host this year’s tournament in Taiwan at the end of last year. [I] held a press conference to call on the government to host the tournament in Taiwan ... and also wrote an e-mail to President Ma [Ying-jeou (馬英九)] on Jan. 19 when I was in the US,” Tseng said.
Photo: EPA
“However, I received no response. This shows the government’s indifference to golf,” she said.
She said that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) was reportedly “furious” after Taiwan was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic after losing to China on Saturday and ordered the Sports Affairs Council to “revitalize” baseball, basketball and pool.
“What about golf? Does it deserve to be left out simply because the premier didn’t mention it?” she asked.
“The administration doesn’t give a damn about golf,” she said, even though Taiwanese players have performed well in international tournaments.
Tseng’s father Tseng Mao-hsin (曾茂炘) yesterday confirmed a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News that China had been trying to recruit his daughter.
“[She] told me that she wasn’t really willing to [represent] China ... it would be better if we could stay in Taiwan,” Tseng Mao-hsin said in an interview with cable TV channel ETTV.
He said three or four other Asian countries had also approached his daughter.
“She asked the president whether the government could fight to host one of the LPGA tour tournaments. The president then asked her how much that would cost and we said it would cost about US$6 million. He responded by saying that US$6 million could be spent on holding more than 10 marathons,” Tseng Mao-hsin said.
“What makes us angry is that even at home, you are not valued. When Singapore invited her [to a recent tournament], they flew her first class and she stayed in a top hotel. But when she returned to Taiwan, [because of her clubs] our airline wanted to charge her for excess baggage,” he said.
Yesterday, government spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) promised that the nation would improve conditions for athletes.
Yani Tseng’s complaint came shortly after leading pool player Wu Chia-ching (吳珈慶) said he was considering becoming a citizen of Singapore because of a lack of support in Taiwan.
The head of the Taiwan Billiards Association Tu Yung-hui (?? has confirmed that Wu is applying for Singaporean citizenship.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHELLEY SHAN
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