A joint effort made by the Ministry of the Interior and legislators who cares about sports players has helped an American basketball player, William Artino, to naturalize as a Taiwan national. In addition, the center basketball player received an exemption to keep his original citizenship while acquiring Taiwanese nationality.
Photo of William Artino and his wife. (Photo / Retrieved from the Instagram: @willartino31)
The 29-year-old Artino is 211 cm tall, and he just arrived in Taiwan on a flight with his wife on December 2. Li Yun Xiang (李雲翔), the deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association, said that with the assistance of the Ministry of the Interior, Altino's naturalization procedures have almost been completed, leaving only the last step to be handled in person.
The Basketball Association will assist in arranging Artino's independent training and maintaining physical fitness while he is serving quarantine. Afterward, the association will help him in obtaining an ID card, hopefully before Christmas.
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Artino will participate in the training of Taiwan’s Male National Basketball Team in the future. It is expected that he will play for the NBA Taiwan in the 2021-2022 season to enhance the team's strength and generate buzz.
