It's hard to miss the numerous articles in the news of late regarding Eileen Gu. After reading some of them, it's hard not to form an opinion regarding her decision to represent China in the 2026 winter olympics. I suppose that one's opinion will vary depending on whether you're Chinese or American. In case you haven't been keeping up, let me give you a little background.
Eileen Gu is a world-renowned freestyle skier, fashion model, and student at Stanford University. Born in San Francisco in 2003 to an American father and a Chinese mother, she has become quite well known for her record-breaking athletic performances and her decision to represent China in international competition. Taking into consideration that she is of American and Chinese descent, one might argue that her decision was not unreasonable. There are, however, some mitigating circumstances.
Gu is a documented American citizen. She holds an American passport. At the time of her decision she was not a Chinese citizen. China does not recognize dual citizenship. In order to become a Chinese citizen, Gu would be required to renounce her American citizenship. She has not done this. Several of her sponsors that finance her training, travel and expenses are American corporations. Her mother was educated at Stanford, where Gu is currently enrolled. Gu actually began representing China in 2019, and the Chinese Consulate General has stated that athletes in her position would need to be naturalized or gain permanent residency status to compete for their team.
It has not been documented that Gu was granted Chinese citizenship, though it's quite obvious she is representing China in the olympics. In early 2025, a public budget document from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau accidentally included the names of Eileen Gu and figure skater Zhu (Beverly) Yi. The document designated approximately $6.6 million for the two athletes for "striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics." Over a three year period leading up to the 2026 games, the two athletes reportedly received nearly $14 million in total government support. It is likely Gu received the larger share considering her three olympic medals. While these direct payments were revealed, the vast majority of Gu's income, estimated at roughly $23 million in 2025, comes from private endorsements and sponsorships, including Red Bull, Porsche, Louis Vitton and several Chinese companies such as the Bank of China and Luckin Coffee. The disclosure of these state payments ignited vigorous debate on Chinese social media regarding public spending on US-born athletes, and the names were removed from the published budget documents.
Given these dubious, and might I say nefarious circumstances, there's one other minor circumstance I'd like to mention. To cement her status as a 'polarizing' subject of the Milan Winter Games, in an interview with a reporter Tuesday Gu responded to a question about her winning two silver medals instead of gold, as a "ridiculous perspective." She responded, "I'm the most decorated female skier in history. I think that's an answer in and of itself. I'm doing things that quite literally have never been done before."
So, to each, his own regarding her questionable, misplaced allegiance. Evidently, there's nothing questionable about her arrogant, narcissistic attitude, however. One must admit though, she belongs to a very small cohort, those who aspire to be Chinese and American, depending on who pays the most...
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