Image from NBC 2025
BY: EMMA JANISCH
It’s not easy to become an Olympic medalist, much less a gold medalist. It requires countless hours of training, perseverance, and support from those around you, not to mention an incredible amount of grit and poise in order to navigate the international spotlight. No one knows this better than Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, two women who at first glance seem remarkably similar. Both are the daughters of immigrants, are Chinese-America, were raised by single parents, and hold a gold medal in their sports (figure skating and freestyle skiing, respectively). But there is one very important difference: Gu holds Chinese citizenship, and Liu does not.
Neither woman was born a Chinese citizen. Liu was born in the United States to a single father and is one of five children all conceived through surrogacy. Her father, Arthur Liu, is a Chinese dissident who fled China for protesting the current government and Liu herself has very pro-immigrant views. Gu was also born in the United States and was raised by a single mother who immigrated from China.
Gu started her career competing for the United States at the 2018–19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup; however, later in 2019, she announced on social media that she hoped to compete under China in the 2022 Winter Olympics despite not having Chinese citizenship at the time. Gu stated that she, hoped “to help inspire millions of young people” in China who, compared to Americans, have less mainstream representation, especially on the worldwide stage. However, this seemingly inspirational decision is muddied by two things: firstly, the fact that in 2020 China changed their citizenship requirements to allow foreigners of international recognition to apply for permanent residency. This “loophole” allows Gu to compete under China in the Olympics while maintaining her American citizenship, a situation contradicted by China’s own laws which do not recognize dual citizenship. However, in addition to this, The Wall Street Journal reported in February 2026 that the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau would pay Gu and another athlete a combined $6.6 million in training funds over three years. This, in addition to the numerous Chinese sponsors Gu has accumulated over the years, presents a different picture of why Gu may have chosen to compete under China’s flag. China has also been known to “recruit” foreign athletes with Chinese ancestry, pushing them towards naturalization so they can compete under the Chinese government.
One such recruiter approached Alysa Liu in 2022 prior to the Beijing Olympics. However, due to Arthur Liu’s past with the Chinese government, he strongly opposed recruitment efforts and would not allow Liu to pursue naturalization. In March of 2022, Liu’s father revealed that as far back as 2021 the family had allegedly been targeted by spies of the Chiense government in an effort to collect information on Chinese dissidents, using the Olympics as a cover to pose as committee officials in an attempt to gain copies of Liu’s passport. Following this instance, Liu has not made any efforts to connect with the Chinese government, although she has stated she is proud of her Asian heritage.
Liu also had an unconventional Olympic career, although she has always competed under the United States. After competing in the 2022 Olympics, Liu announced that she was retiring from the sport, taking more than a year off before returning to win the gold medal in 2026. It was during the 2026 Olympics that the online rhetoric surrounding Liu and Gu intensified, as Americans especially compared the women on social media and placed Gu under scrutiny for competing for China. In contrast, Liu has received acclaim for her representation of American immigrants and liberal background as well as her stance on mental health surrounding the sport. While the praise for Liu has focused on her personal views and achievements, the backlash and overall news about Gu has been focused on her nationality despite Gu being the most decorated free skier of all time, a graduate of Stanford, and an advocate of global inclusivity. Additionally, despite the competition forced upon them, Gu and Liu have always been vocal supporters of one another, with Liu even criticizing the treatment of Gu in the media and the comparisons drawn between them.
But should Gu’s nationality outshine the accomplishments she has made and the people she has inspired? Gu has worked just as hard, if not harder, than the athletes around her in order to compete and win at the Olympics. Her switch to compete under China, while controversial, has still arguably created the female Chinese American representation Gu has advocated for, regardless of any monetary compensation Gu may have received. Both women’s careers have been closely tied to their ethnicity and nationality in a way which exposes how female athletes and minorities in particular are often treated as transactional by their teams, media, and fans, only being supported when they meet the standards placed upon them. Gu and Liu in particular expose another double standard regarding nationality and politics, as Liu choosing to participate under the United States has never been seen as Liu supporting the current government in contrast to the assumptions made about Gu (even though she still maintains her American citizenship and identifies as Chinese-American). The outrage surrounding Gu’s decision may not come from genuine wrongdoing at all, but the snubbed pride of the America people for not being able to claim her accomplishments. After all, so many of our sports teams are tied to patriotism and national pride, especially at events like the Olympics where athletes compete for their country.
Whether Gu’s nationality change was sparked by money or a true desire for representation, her worthiness and the respect and acclaim she receives should not be decided by her nationality alone. Both women have created a space for Chinese immigrants and advocated for female athletes while proving themselves on the Olympic stage and in other competitions worldwide. Both Gu and Liu have formed their opinions on the other not based on their nationality, but who they are as people. And if both women can support the other’s wins despite their differing immigration journeys, why can’t we do the same?
Sources:
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/alysa-liu-calls-critics-eileen-213107442.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eileen_Gu#Early_life_and_education
https://www.wsj.com/sports/olympics/eileen-gu-china-usa-freestyle-skier-7cd0cfcc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alysa_Liu#In_media_and_popular_culture
