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

Eileen Gu posted 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 attributed the decision to her passion for promoting women’s sports and encouraging young girls to take up sports.

“I had my first conversation about women in sports and title IX when I was 11. I talked about being the only girl on my ski team and being best friends with my teammates on the weekends thanks to the shared sports language, even though I went to an all-girls school Monday through Friday,” Gu wrote on Instagram.

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“At the same time, I became painfully aware of the lack of representation—at 9 years old, I felt like I was somehow representing all women every time I stepped into the terrain park. Downhill tricks were about more than progress…they were about debunking cynical insinuations about what it meant to ‘ski like a girl’.”

Gu continued by expressing his gratitude for a season competing for the USA

“I announced my decision to compete for China when I was 15. I spent a season on the U.S. team at the time and was lucky enough to meet my heroes in person. I am forever grateful for that season and continue to maintain a close relationship with the team. I had spent every summer in China since I was 8 years old, running summer camps on trampoline and dry land for kids and adults ranging from 7 to 47, so I knew the industry was small for everyone,” he added.

“For Team China, skiing meant the opportunity to cheer others on through universal sports culture and introduce freeskiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it before, especially as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics approached.”

Gu’s statement ended by acknowledging that some people “didn’t understand” his decision to compete for China against the United States, and insisted he was maximizing the impact of that choice.

“Looking back now at 22, I can tell 12-year-old Eileen that there were terrain parks full of little girls who would never doubt their place in the sport. And to 15-year-old me, I can tell that there are millions of girls who have since taken up skiing in China and around the world,” Gu wrote.

“Given my interests and passions, not many people will understand or believe that I have decided at this age to make the biggest positive impact I can on the world stage. Three golds and six medals later, I can safely say that what was once a dream is now a reality.”

Gu became a target Global criticism of these Olympics For his decision to represent China by remaining silent on the country’s alleged human rights abuses.

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

“I haven’t done any research. I think it’s none of my business. I won’t make big claims on social media,” Gu replied.

“I’m more of a skeptic when it comes to data in general. … So I can’t just read an article and say, ‘Oh, okay, this must be real.’ I need a ton of evidence. Maybe I need to go there, maybe I need to talk to 10 primary source people who have been in that place and experienced life there.”

“Then I have to go look at the footage. I have to listen to the recordings. I have to think about how history has affected it. Then I have to read books about how politics has affected it. It’s a lifelong pursuit. It’s irresponsible to ask me to be the spokesman for any agenda.”

More controversy surrounding Gu erupted in the wake of The Guardian. Wall Street Magazine Gu and another American-born athlete who currently competes for China were reportedly paid a total of $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025.

Gu is the highest paid person Winter Olympics athlete It will earn an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone, thanks to partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China and western companies.

His alignment with China drew criticism from many Americans at these Olympics, including Vice President J.D. Vance.

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

When Gu was later asked if he felt “like a punching bag for a certain branch of American politics right now,” he said he did.

“Yes,” he said. “A lot of athletes compete for a different country. … People have a problem with me doing that because they’re incorporating China into this monolith and they hate China. So it’s not about what they think it’s about.

“And also because I won. If I wasn’t doing well, they probably wouldn’t care so much, and that’s fine with me. People are entitled to their own opinions.”

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

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

“The police were called. I received death threats. My dorm was robbed.” Gu told The Athletic:.

“As a 22-year-old kid, I’ve been through some things that I really don’t think anyone should have to endure.”

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