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Eileen Gu issued a statement on social media on Monday, reflecting on her controversial decision to compete for Team China despite being born and raised in the US.
Gu’s statement linked the decision to her passion for promoting women’s sports and encouraging young girls to play sports.
“I gave my first speech about women in sports and Title IX when I was 11. I talked about being the only girl on my ski team and, despite attending an all-girls school Monday through Friday, becoming best friends with my teammates on the weekends through the common language of the sport,” Gu wrote on Instagram.
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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photographs after the award ceremony of the women’s freestyle freeski big air skiing event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 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 age 9, I felt like I somehow represented all women every time I stepped foot in the terrain park. Landing tricks were about more than progression… it was about refuting the derisive implication of what it meant to ‘ski like a girl.'”
Gu went on to express his gratitude for the only season in which he competed for the US.
“When I was 15 years old, I announced my decision to compete for China. At that time, I had spent a season on Team USA and had been fortunate enough to meet my heroes in person. I will always be 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 hosting summer camps on trampolines and dry slopes for children and adults, ages 7 to 47, so I knew that the industry was small. I felt like I knew everyone,” he added.
“Skiing for Team China meant the opportunity to encourage others through the universal culture of the sport and to introduce freeskiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it, especially now that the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are just around the corner.”
Gu’s statement concluded by acknowledging that certain people “don’t understand” his decision to run for China instead of the United States, while insisting that the choice maximized the impact it would have.
“I can look back now at 22 years old and tell 12-year-old Eileen that there are now parks full of little girls, who will never doubt their place in the sport. I can tell 15-year-old me 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 as much positive impact as possible on the world stage, at this age, given my interests and passions. Three golds and six medals later, I can safely say that what was once a dream is now a reality.”
Gu has become a target for global criticism of these Olympic Games 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.
“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.”
More controversy surrounding Gu erupted after The 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.
Gu is the highest paid Winter Olympics athlete in the world, earning approximately $23 million in 2025 alone due 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 JD Vance.
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America and benefited from our educational system, from the 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 Pak Gazette’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
Later, when Gu was asked if he felt “like a punching bag for a certain current of American politics right now,” he said yes.
“Yes,” he said. “A lot of athletes compete for a different country… People just have a problem with them doing it because they lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So it’s not really what they think it’s about.
“And, also, because I win. If I wasn’t doing well, I think they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s fine with me. People have a right to have their opinions.”
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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China attends 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. (Hongxiang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Gu claimed she was “physically assaulted” by the decision.
“They called the police. I received death threats. They stole my bedroom.” Gu told The Athletic.
“At 22 years old, I’ve been through some things that I truly believe no one should ever have to endure.”
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