- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,194,714
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Why does Eileen Gu compete for China? Explaining the American-born skier's dual citizenship originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are under way in Italy, and one of the biggest names in freestyle skiing is Eileen Gu. Just 22 years old, Gu has a unique backstory in terms of the country she represents at the Olympics.
Although Gu, who was born in the United States, represented the Team USA in the beginning of her professional career, she now skis for Team China. Gu has strong ties to both countries due to her parents' nationalities.
Let's take a look at Gu's roots, as well as her connection to both the United States and China.
MORE 2026 OLYMPICS: Live medal tracker | Viewer's guide | Day-by-day schedule
Why does Eileen Gu compete for China?
Eileen Gu didn't always compete for China, but for the bulk of her career, she has. Gu competed for Team USA during her 2018–19 freestyle ski World Cup season, but she began representing China in June 2019, requesting a change of nation with the International Ski Federation in doing so. Gu's father is American, but her mother is a first-generation immigrant to the United States, having been born in China.
During a 2021 interview with ESPN, Gu said that although she grew up in America, she describes herself as both American and Chinese. Gu spent her summers living in China, where she was exposed to the culture.
"Since I was little, I've always said when I'm in the U.S., I'm American, but when I'm in China, I'm Chinese," Gu told ESPN.com in a recent interview leading up to International Women's Day. "I preserve it by having friends and being able to communicate with people because that's the best way to transmit culture."
Gu rose to prominence during her first World Cup games during the 2018-19 season. At the age of 16, she won the Slopestyle event in Italy. She appeared on the cover of Chinese fashion magazines shortly thereafter.
While representing China, Gu has won three medals, including two golds she won in Beijing in 2022 for the halfpipe and Big Air events. She also won a silver medal there for Slopestyle. And she has won two World Championship medals in 2021, as well as three Winter X Games gold medals.
MORE:Olympics skiing results, including medal winners for alpine events
Where is Eileen Gu from?
Gu was born and raised in San Francisco, Calif. Although she attended Peking University in China, she returned to the Bay Area to attend school at nearby Stanford. She was a freshman at Palo Alto in 2022, where she majors in International relations. She took time off of school during the 2025-26 academic year to prepare for this year's Winter Olympics.
China does not allow people to have dual citizenship, but Gu has seemingly been able to live in both places with ease.
Gu participating for China came under scrutiny just last year. A document released by the Beijing city government listed $6.6 million in funds towards Gu and figure skater Beverly Zhu's training for the 2026 Winter Games. Via the Hong Kong Free Press:
Zhu, who now goes by her Chinese name Yi, was also born in California, but switched countries to represent China in 2018.
MORE:Youngest and oldest Olympians on Team USA
Eileen Gu's parents
Gu comes from a multicultural household, although there aren't too many public details about either of her parents.
Eileen Gu's dad
Gu's dad is American, but there really isn't any public information available about him.
Eileen Gu's mom
Gu's mother is Gu Yan, who came to the United States to attend school where her daughter now goes — Stanford. According to Wikipedia, Eileen was raised primarily by her mother and maternal grandmother.
MORE:What time is it in Italy?
Eileen Gu career earnings
Gu is one of the highest-paid women's athletes worldwide. According to The Athletic and Forbes, Gu made $23 million in earnings last year, with just over $100,000 of that coming from skiing. Gu also models for IMG, and has modeled for brands like Victoria’s Secret and Louis Vuitton.
She also has endorsement deals with companies such as Red Bull, Porsche, IWC Schaffhausen and, TCL electronics.
MORE:How many countries are in the 2026 Winter Games?
Continue reading...
