Despite claiming a pair of silver medals, Olympic skier Eileen Gu has received plenty of backlash during the 2026 Winter Games.
Although she was born and raised in San Francisco, California, Gu represents China at the Olympics. She made this decision back in 2019, much to the delight of the Chinese Ski Association.
"I have decided to compete for China in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics," Gu said. "This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make. I am extremely thankful for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Chinese Ski Association for having the vision and belief in me to make my dreams come true. I am proud of my heritage, and equally proud of my American upbringings. The opportunity to help inspire millions of young people where my mom was born, during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help to promote the sport I love. Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations. If I can help to inspire one young girl to break a boundary, my wishes will have come true."
As you'd imagine, Americans aren't pleased with Gu's decision. They firmly believe she should be representing Team USA.
"I think that somebody who benefited from our education system would want to compete with the US," Vice President JD Vance said.
Feb 9, 2026; Livigno, Italy; Ailing Eileen Gu of the People's Republic of China celebrates on the podium with her silver medal after the women's freestyle skiing slopestyle final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images © Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images.
During an appearance on Fox News, former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom called Gu a "traitor" for turning her back on the United States.
"I'm just going to say it, she's a traitor," Freedom said. "She was born in America. She was raised in America, lives in America, and chooses to compete against her own country for, literally, the worst human rights abuser on the planet, China. She built her fame in a free country, and then chooses to represent an authoritarian regime."
Eileen Gu was assaulted over her decision.
Gu revealed in an interview with The Athletic that she was "physically assaulted" after committing to China's Olympic team. She said this incident occurred on Stanford's campus.
"I've had death threats," Gu told The Athletic. "I've had my dorm robbed. I've gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever."
A spokesperson for Stanford has not yet addressed these comments from Gu.
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