SUMMARY
- Eileen Gu citizenship status remains unclear under China’s ban on dual nationality
- Beijing municipal funding and global endorsements significantly boosted her earnings
- Debate highlights growing intersection of elite sport, geopolitics and commercial sponsorship
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu is again at the center of a citizenship controversy as she prepares to compete for China at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
Following disclosures that she received multimillion dollar public funding and endorsement income after her medal winning performance at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Gu, born in San Francisco, announced in 2019 that she would represent China, her mother’s birthplace.
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she won two gold medals and one silver in freestyle skiing, becoming one of the Games’ most visible athletes and a commercial force across Asia.
China’s nationality law prohibits dual citizenship. Gu has not publicly clarified whether she formally renounced her US passport, stating previously that she considers herself “American when in the US and Chinese when in China.”
The ambiguity has fueled recurring scrutiny in both countries. Budget documents published in 2025 by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau indicated that Gu and figure skater Zhu Yi received $6.6 million in performance related support ahead of the Milan Games.
The documents were later removed from public access. Financial filings compiled by sports marketing firm Sportico show Gu earned more than $23 million in 2025, with approximately $20,000 tied directly to competition prize money.
Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said athlete nationality shifts increasingly reflect “strategic branding decisions as much as identity.”
Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School, said state backed funding in elite sport often serves broader diplomatic objectives. “High profile athletes become instruments of soft power,” he said.
Li Ming, a Beijing based sports policy analyst, said Gu’s success “accelerated winter sports participation after Beijing 2022.”
USA Today sports business reporter Tom Schad noted that endorsement-heavy earnings are now typical among top Olympic athletes.
Gu said recently she feels she carries “the weight of two countries” but remains focused on competition.
Gu is scheduled to compete in halfpipe and big air events in Milan. Organizers of the 2026 Winter Games in Italy have declined to comment on athlete citizenship matters, deferring to national federations.
The Eileen Gu citizenship controversy underscores evolving tensions between nationality law, global branding and state investment in elite sport, as international competition becomes increasingly intertwined with economics and diplomacy.
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