The Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council (SAC) said on Monday that it respected a decision by pool star Wu Chia-ching to choose Singapore citizenship. Wu was just one of several Taiwanese sports champions to complain about government neglect of local athletes’ career development. The main point of concern is that young athletes have to put their education aside while they train for competitions, while finding it hard to locate decent jobs once their often short sporting career is over.

The government had maintained contacts with Wu through the official pool association, even offering him help in finding sponsors, but in the end the champion still decided to apply for foreign citizenship.

The 20-year-old star started playing pool when he was 10, and won the World Nine-Ball Championship when he was only 17.