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As American-born Chinese team skier Eileen Gu faces increasing scrutiny at the Winter Olympics, two other Americans competing in Milan Cortina have spoken out in support of the controversial medalist.
Veteran Team USA female skeletal athlete Kelly Curtis, who also serves as a staff sergeant in the Air Force, admits she hasn’t given much thought to Gu’s decision to represent China over the U.S. Still, Curtis insists she only respects Gu because of her talent and accomplishments.
“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought. She’s the most decorated freestyle skier, so she’s at the top of her game and I have nothing but respect for her,” Curtis told Pak Gazette Digital.
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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)
Meanwhile, another American citizen who chooses to represent another country in the Olympics directly supports Gu’s decision to compete for China.
Israel bobsled team captain AJ Edelman, who grew up in New England, opted to represent Israel in Skeleton at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and in bobsled this year. He previously told Pak Gazette Digital that, despite being a proud American, he would never consider representing the United States against Israel.
Edelman questioned those who have criticized her for choosing China.
“Every athlete has a different athletic journey, and every athlete chooses a path in their life from that athletic journey that is there and alone. I think it’s incredibly inappropriate for anyone to demand service from anyone in sport for any particular reason other than that athlete’s own will,” Edelman told Pak Gazette Digital about Gu and the criticism he has received.
“When it comes to Eileen or any other athlete representing another country… no one has the right to question it. It is absolutely inappropriate and extreme.”
Edelman compared Gu’s decision to his own choice to represent Israel.
“Any athlete is free to choose the athletic path they take, and I’m going to respect that. In terms of my own decision to represent a country other than the United States, I chose to do something that I thought would have an impact on a particular community. And I felt that that community would be best impacted through appearance or representation through the State of Israel,” he added.
However, Edelman made financial sacrifices to compete for Israel, which has a bobsled team with far fewer resources than the United States.
He previously told Pak Gazette Digital that he had to live below the poverty line to maintain his commitment to leading the Israeli team for the past 13 years, and that he had to sell all of his bitcoins, which he claims would have been worth millions today if he had kept them.
“It was all spent on sledding,” he said. “I’d be a mega-millionaire if I still had it.”
Meanwhile, Gu has become a billionaire while representing China.
EILEEN GU’S INTERACTION WITH REPORTER ABOUT WINNING SILVER INSTEAD OF GOLD GOES VIRAL: ‘RIDICULOUS PERSPECTIVE’
Gu is the highest paid winter olympic athlete in the world, earning approximately $23 million in 2025 alone amid partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China, and Western companies. Gu has said he represents China to his mother, who was born there.
He Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, an American-born figure skater who now competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In total, the two were paid almost $14 million over the past three years.
Meanwhile, Gu has not addressed China’s alleged human rights abuses.
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 it. Then I need to read books about how politics affects this. This is a search for the entire life…
“It is irresponsible to ask me to be the spokesperson for any agenda.”
Gu admitted he felt like a “punching bag” amid this winter’s backlash.
“Yes,” Gu said when asked if he felt “like a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics,” according to USA Today.
“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 I hate China. So it’s not really about 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 the right to their opinion.”
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Eileen Gu of Team PRC falls in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Qualification 1 on day thirteen of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Air Park on February 19, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Gu had previously said that she was “physically attacked” for his decision to represent China.
“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.”
