Chinese golfers on the U.S. women's tour "may decide not to play in a tournament next month in Hawaii sponsored by South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, a sign that fallout from a diplomatic row between Beijing and Seoul over a missile defence system is increasingly spilling into the sports world," according to Peter Rutherford of REUTERS. Rio Olympics Bronze Medalist Shanshan Feng decided not to play after she and three other Chinese players -- Simin Feng, Jing Yan and Xiyu Lin -- were informed it was "in their best interests not to take part in the event due to its association with Lotte," sources familiar with the matter said. One of the sources said that "at least one player received an instruction not to attend the Lotte event from someone connected to China's national team." The source declined to name the player and it was not "immediately clear" how such a message had been passed onto the others. However, Simin Feng and Shanshan Feng's agent in China both denied that the players were being "pressured by the Chinese authorities to pull out." Simin Feng said, "The four of us were talking about it a little bit because now it's such a sensitive issue." She added that she had "yet to decide whether to play" in the Lotte-backed LPGA tournament from April 12-15. Simin Feng: "I'm really for my country and with the politics nowadays, both countries are not at a very good situation. No one really seriously came up to us and said, 'You really shouldn't play.'" The tensions have "affected many sports," including football, tennis, climbing, and golf. Chinese players "have pulled out of various events in South Korea," according to South Korean media (REUTERS, 3/30).
