The Taiwanese Government is being urged to change the rules around Public Servants advertising commercial products after one of the country’s Olympic Games gold medallists said he wanted to become a spokesperson for a local brand of beer.
Wang Chi-lin (pictured right) and partner, Lee Yang who won gold in the badminton men’s doubles, are both employees of a State-owned company and thus barred from appearing in commercials.
The Ministry of Finance, the supervising authority of their employer, the Land Bank of Taiwan, said it would ask the Ministry of Civil Service for its opinion on the matter.
During a live broadcast, Mr Wang said he had noticed that Gold Medal Taiwan Beer had introduced special Olympic-themed packaging.
He praised the move, adding that he hoped he could officially endorse the product.
Chair of the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, which brews the beer, Ting Yen-che said he was interested in discussing the topic with both Olympic champions.
However, because both players are employees of the Land Bank of Taiwan, they are considered Government employees and are therefore subject to a rule which bans Public Servants from holding other jobs and earning extra money.
Any income earned from commercials would end up in the bank’s hands, according to the rule.
The Government is reportedly discussing the possibility of allowing athletes to endorse products without it clashing with the regulations for Public Servants.
Taipei, 6 August 2021
