Yani Tseng refused offer to become Chinese citizen

Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng recently rejected a five-year NT$1-billion sponsorship deal offered by a Chinese enterprise, which required her to become a Chinese citizen, her father was cited as saying yesterday.

The business, which had been trying to woo the star golfer since last year, approached her again last month with a five-year contract worth US$25 million, plus the use of private jets and a luxury villa in Beijing, the father was quoted by Apple Daily as saying.

But the deal came with an extra term requiring Tseng to change her nationality to Chinese.

“We cannot change the nationality,” the father, Tseng Mao-hsin, was cited saying. “So we rejected it right away.”

The golfer currently is number four in the LPA ranking, having won many important championships.

Apple Daily said the Chinese enterprise hoped that Tseng could represent China in the 2016 Olympics.

Hsu Ya-tien, head of Taiwan's golf association, questioned the motives of the China offer.

Hsu said Tseng is Taiwan's most prized player, and the association would be glad to see a “pure commercial deal” done.

But if the goal is to make her play for China, the association would never make any compromises, Hsu said.