LIVIGNO, Italy — Eileen Gu is anticipated to secure yet another medal this Monday in the women’s freeski big air final. Following her win, she will likely attend the press conference, as is her custom, where she will predictably deflect inquiries concerning the genuine nature of her citizenship, the political ramifications of her adolescent decision at 15 to represent China—rather than her birth country, the United States—at the Olympics, and the various human rights violations attributed to the Chinese Communist Party.
Subsequently, 5,000 miles away in the U.S., a wave of indignation is expected to erupt. This anger will be directed both at Gu for perceived disloyalty to her homeland and even at those present to chronicle her accomplishments, for failing to relentlessly pursue various dead ends regarding the Uyghurs, Taiwan, and Jimmy Lai’s conviction, all in social media’s relentless pursuit of a viral “gotcha” moment designed to destabilize Gu and unmask her as the fraud some believe her to be.
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Eileen Gu, currently 22 and an international relations student at Stanford, embodies a multitude of characteristics. She is undeniably an opportunist. Her outward ambition is so pronounced it prompts speculation about the depth of her internal cynicism. She frames her intricate life narrative through an overly sweet, non-existent idealized world and becomes elusive the moment any contentious topic enters her sphere. She possesses the ability to speak at length without conveying substantial meaning.
She encompasses all these traits and likely many more.
However, she is neither foolish nor lacking in self-control, always careful to avoid displeasing a government that has made her exceptionally wealthy.
Silver medalist China’s Eileen Gu wears a China flag after the women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Therefore, considering her dedicated pursuit of personal gain, perhaps the country she represents on her skis is irrelevant, as her adeptness at exploiting the system to its fullest extent is a trait as inherently American as apple pie.
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The answers many of you appear to seek? Regrettably, they will not be provided—certainly not in a press conference room nestled in the Italian Alps after a 15-story ramp jump. It is probable they will never materialize.
Did she forge an agreement with the CCP to retain her American passport, in contravention of Chinese law which forbids dual citizenship?
Did the $6.6 million she and another American-born athlete reportedly earned from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau last year—an amount inadvertently disclosed in a fiscal report before its removal from the internet, according to the Wall Street Journal—come with unfavorable conditions?
Does she genuinely believe that inspiring Chinese women to engage in winter sports will genuinely improve women’s lives under a regime that lags embarrassingly behind most of the modern world in terms of political representation, economic opportunities, and protections for victims of domestic abuse?
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She has been questioned about all these matters repeatedly over many years and in numerous settings. And as skilled as she is on the slopes, she is even more adept at artfully dodging these topics.
As she conveyed to Sean Gregory of Time Magazine in a thoroughly researched feature before the Milan Cortina Games, when asked how she would respond to a question about Donald Trump imposing tariffs on China: “I would just say, ‘I didn’t know I got promoted to trade minister.’ It’s irresponsible to ask me to be the mouthpiece for any agenda.”
Consequently, we are all faced with a choice concerning Eileen Gu.
Do we wish to push ourselves to the brink of irrationality with a vehement tirade about her wearing the flag of an oppressive regime, or do we accept her for what she truly is: an exceptionally talented skier who holds no significant influence over matters of true importance in either China or the United States, and who has discovered a method to leverage her talent, appearance, and fluent Mandarin to achieve a level of prominence far beyond any other athlete at the Winter Olympics?
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In a modest defense of Gu, it is pertinent to recall that her decision to compete for China was made when she was only 15.
What degree of understanding could she possess at 15, born to a Chinese mother who raised her as a single parent? At that age, it is doubtful she perceived it as anything beyond a business decision—one that, though undeniably intricate and perhaps ethically questionable, has demonstrably proven beneficial for her finances and the array of sponsors eager to partner with Eileen Gu.
Did she have reason to anticipate it would escalate to this? Did we? Athletes routinely change nationalities in sports—in both directions. She made her choice before the severe crackdowns in Hong Kong, before widespread awareness of the scale of atrocities committed against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, and before the onset of COVID. While this might not be relevant to some, the context of her decision then differs significantly from the context now.
And since achieving international superstardom and becoming a four-time Olympic medalist—with the potential for two more here in Livigno—Gu has not utilized her social standing to extol the virtues of the CCP’s censorship regime or economic system. Instead, she speaks of bridging divides and inspiring young people through her athletic accomplishments. She very clearly desires no involvement in the culture war that others attempt to draw her into.
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It may be profoundly cynical, but do not many fans simply want athletes to focus on their sport?
Here is the reality: Gu may don the Five-star Red Flag on her ski suit, but the sole entity she genuinely represents is Eileen Gu, Inc. To portray her as anything more than that, merely to ignite American political indignation on social media, embodies something almost as objectionable as her perceived character.