As Gu competes again for China, questions resurface over Beijing’s recruitment of foreign-born athletes and its dubious citizenship rules.
News Analysis
Ever since American-born freestyle skier Eileen Gu stepped onto the podium at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, draped in China’s red flag, she became one of the most recognizable faces of the Games. This year at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, she once again represented China.
Her success was celebrated across Chinese state media as a symbol of national rejuvenation and global influence. However, Gu is not an isolated case. Her rise highlights a broader, more controversial effort by Beijing to recruit foreign athletes through state-backed naturalization programs.
Naturalization for Sports
In the years leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics, Chinese leader Xi Jinping publicly acknowledged efforts to strengthen China’s winter sports by fostering “stronger global ties” with athletes from other countries.
Chinese media outlets do not shy away from reporting on the naturalization of foreign athletes to represent China in the Olympics.
The most visible cluster of naturalized athletes appears in China’s men’s ice hockey team. Several players born and trained in Canada, the United States, and Russia competed for China’s team at the 2022 Beijing Olympics after obtaining Chinese citizenship, according to Olympic rosters.
At the time, the Chinese Olympic Committee did not publish detailed explanations of how citizenship issues were resolved. China does not recognize dual citizenship under its Nationality Law, and any person applying for naturalization must not retain foreign nationality.
Questions about whether athletes renounced previous passports were not publicly clarified by authorities. Gu has avoided addressing her citizenship situation and has never explained how she circumvented China’s Nationality Law.
Diverging Paths
The contrast between Gu and American figure skater Alysa Liu, who represented the United States at the same Olympics, underscores the political symbolism of national identity in sport.
While Liu competed under the American flag, Gu’s decision to compete for China drew scrutiny in the United States.
Enes Kanter Freedom, a former NBA player known for his human rights activism, wrote in a post on X on Feb. 10 that Gu is a “traitor.”
“She was born in America, raised in America, lives in America, and chose to compete against her own country for the worst human rights abuser on the planet, China,” he wrote.
“She built her fame in a free country, then chose to represent an authoritarian regime while cashing in on endorsements linked by watchdog groups to mass detention and forced labor camps.”
Gu’s commercial appeal in China is apparent. In December 2025, Forbes ranked her fourth among the world’s highest-paid female athletes, earning a total of $23.1 million behind tennis stars Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek.
