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Former soccer player Megan Rapinoe weighed in on the debate over Eileen Gu’s decision to represent China despite having grown up in the United States.
Gu, an American-born athlete competing for Team China in freeskiing, became one of the most controversial topics of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and became the most successful female freeskier in history.
Controversy erupted after Wall Street Journal reported that Gu and another American-born athlete now competing for China were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025.
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Megan Rapinoe warms up before the NWSL Championship Semifinal match against San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on November 5, 2023. (Ray Acevedo/USA Today Sports)
Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympics athlete in the world, and is estimated to earn $23 million in 2025 alone due to partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China and Western companies.
Rapinoe calls Gu’s choice to run for China an “excellent business decision.”
“Excellent business decision on their part, I just have to say,” Rapinoe said on her podcast with co-host and wife Sue Bird. “There is no shame in that game.”
Rapinoe and Bird went on to comment on a viral interaction between Gu and a journalist who asked the skier if she felt her two Olympic silver medals had lost chances at winning gold. Gu suggested that the journalist’s question came from a ridiculous perspective after being laughed at.
“That might be the best answer I’ve ever heard to a question like that,” Bird said. “Perfect answer.
Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the award ceremony of the women’s freestyle big air freestyle skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“I love what she said…She hit that man, really hard.”
Rapinoe and Bird agreed that Gu’s approach is “a great way to grow.”
Gu has become the target of global criticism at these Olympics for his decision to represent China while remaining silent about alleged human rights abuses in the country.
In an interview with Time magazine, Gu was asked what he thought about China’s alleged persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
“I haven’t investigated. I don’t think it’s my business. I’m not going to make big claims on my social media,” Gu responded.
“I’m just more skeptical when it comes to data in general… So it’s not like I can read an article and say, ‘Oh, well, this must be the truth.’ I need to have a ton of evidence. Maybe I need to go to the location, maybe talk to 10 primary source people who are in a location and have experienced life there.
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Eileen Gu of China reacts after her first jump in the women’s freestyle skiing qualification during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park on February 14, 2026. (Joe Camporeale/Image Images)
“Then I need to go see pictures. I need to listen to recordings. I need to think about how history affects her. Then I need to read books about how politics affects her. This is a lifelong pursuit. It’s irresponsible to ask me to be the spokesperson for any agenda.”
Rapinoe and Bird call themselves advocates of equality and social justice. They didn’t mention Gu’s silence on human rights abuses in China during Thursday’s podcast episode.
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