Eileen Gu defends decision to compete for China over Team USA in statement

Eileen Gu released a statement on social media on Monday, reflecting on her controversial decision to compete for Team China despite being born and raised in the United States.

Gu’s statement links the decision to her passion for promoting women’s sports and encouraging young girls to participate in sports.

“I gave my first speech about women in sports and Title IX when I was 11. I spoke about being the only girl on my ski team, and even though I attended an all-girls school Monday through Friday, I became best friends with my teammates on the weekends thanks to the common language of the sport,” Gu wrote on Instagram.

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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the award ceremony of the women’s big air freestyle skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, February 16, 2026. (Photo by Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images) (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

“At the same time, I became painfully aware of the lack of representation – at the age of 9, I felt like I represented every woman every time I set foot in the terrain park. Landing tricks were about more than just progression…it was about refuting the paltry implication of what it meant to ‘ski like a girl’.”

Gu then expressed her gratitude for the one season in which she competed for the United States.

“When I was 15, I announced my decision to compete for China. At the time, I had spent a season on Team USA and had the chance to meet my heroes in person. I am forever grateful for that season and continue to maintain a close relationship with the team. I have spent every summer in China since I was 8 years old running trampoline and dry track summer camps for children and adults, ranging from 7 at 47, so I knew the industry was small I felt like I knew everyone.” she added.

“Skiing for the Chinese team represented an opportunity to uplift others through the universal culture of sport and introduce free skiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it, especially in the lead-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.”

Gu’s statement concluded by acknowledging that some people “don’t understand” her decision to compete for China rather than the United States, while insisting that this choice maximized the impact she would have.

“I can look back now, at 22, and tell 12-year-old Eileen that there are now snow parks full of little girls, who will never doubt their place in the sport. I can say at 15 that there are now millions of girls who have taken up skiing since then, in China and around the world,” Gu wrote.

“Many people will not understand or believe that I made the decision to create the biggest positive impact possible on the world stage, at this age, given my interests and passions. Three golds and six medals later, I can confidently say that once a dream is now a reality.”

Gu became a target for global criticism of these Olympic Games for his decision to represent China while remaining silent about alleged human rights violations in that country.

In an interview with Time magazine, Gu was asked for his opinion on China’s alleged persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

“I haven’t done any research. I don’t think it’s my business. I’m not going to make big statements on my social media,” Gu responded.

“I’m just more skeptical of data in general. … So it’s not like I can read an article and go, ‘Oh, well, that must be the truth.’ I need a ton of proof. Maybe I have to go out there, maybe talk to 10 primary source people who are in a place and have experienced life there.

“Then I need to go see pictures. I need to listen to recordings. I need to think about how history affects him. Then I need to read books about how politics affects him. It’s a lifelong pursuit. It’s irresponsible to ask me to be the spokesperson for any agenda.”

Further controversies surrounding Gu arose after The The Wall Street Journal reported that Gu and another American-born athlete who now competes for China received a total of $6.6 million from the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025.

Gu is the highest paid Winter Olympics athlete worldwide, earning an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone through partnerships with Chinese companies including the Bank of China and Western companies.

His alignment with China drew criticism from many Americans during the Olympics, including from Vice President JD Vance.

“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America and who has benefited from our education system, the freedoms and freedoms that make this country a great place, I would hope that they would want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”

Later, when asked if she felt “like a punching bag for a certain aspect of American politics right now,” she said yes.

“Yes,” she said. “So many athletes compete for a different country… People only have a problem with me because they lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really what they think.

“And also because I win. Like, if I wasn’t doing well, I think they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s fine with me. People are entitled to their opinions.”

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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China attends the awards ceremony of the women’s big air freestyle skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Livigno, Italy, February 16, 2026. (Hongxiang/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Gu claimed she was “physically attacked” because of the decision.

“The police were called. I received death threats. My dorm was broken into,” Gu told The Athletic.

“I experienced some things at 22 that I truly believe no one should ever have to endure.”

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