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Chinese Americans competing for China at Beijing Olympics face scorn

Two Chinese Americans competing in the Beijing Olympics for the host country are having a rough time, but for different reasons.

San Francisco’s Eileen Gu renounced her U.S. citizenship to compete for China as a freestyle skier. She’s received strong social media backlash in the United States and has been denounced as a traitor.

The California-born Zhu Yi made her debut Saturday night at the Beijing Olympics competing in the short program for China in the ice team competition.

She fell twice, leading many on social media in China to blast her and question why she was allowed to compete in place of a Chinese-born athlete.

The hashtag Zhu Yi has fallen gained traction in China soon after her performance in the short program.

“This is such a disgrace,” one Weibo user said, according to CNN.

“Anyone would question how she was chosen to the team. Is it because she has a scientist father?” another Weibo user said, according to Reuters.

“I just felt very sad that I couldn’t do better and help (China) during this team event but I’m very grateful to have them, and have them cheering for me,” Yi said.

China reportedly later censored the comments condemning the athlete.

Both Yi and Gu are one of a number of foreign athletes who have been recruited by China to increase their medal chances. To do so, the athletes must agree to renounce their citizenship.

“This was an incredibly tough decision for me to make,” Gu wrote in a post on Instagram. “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.”

Gu told the Independent that she recalls watching the Olympics as an eight-year-old and asking her mother if she should root for China or the United States.

“‘Anyone you want,”‘ she recalls her mother replying. She explains she is the child of a mother from China and a father from the United States.

According to the Daily Mail, she retains sponsorship deals from American brands like Cadillac, Tiffany’s, Visa, Therabody, Victoria’s Secret, and Oakley.

She is known in China as the snow princess.

Photo of Zhu Yi by David Carmichael via Wikimedia Creative Commons

Photo of Eileen Gu Eileen Gu via Facebook

(CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Gu is adopted. We regret the error)

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5 COMMENTS

  1. I’m sorry, but if these two Chinese-Americans want to RENOUNCE their American citizenship, essentially turning their backs on a free society that GAVE THEM the opportunity to achieve their dreams, then I say LET THEM STAY IN CHINA!!! Let them see how GREAT life is in China where it’s all about THE PARTY! If you’re no longer a citizen they should ONLY be allowed back in the US on visitor visas. They ARE TRAITORS, throwing in with a society that is directly opposed to the US and is throwing its military in our face as if to say “we are stronger than you and we’ll do what we want or we will go to war”. I’m Irish American but would NEVER renounce my US citizenship. Your heritage is IMPORTANT but you better dance with the one who brung ya!

  2. No chance a freestyle skier in the US would ever see 1% of the money what she’s gonna pull down in China. So it’s simple, shes just a whore now. Sold her citizenship and dignity to China to get paid. Well done, but the next time PRC orders her to jump, you best believe she will be asking how high. they literally…own. your. ass. Can I assume that foreign policy was not included in your SAT exam. Good luck with that.

  3. Good for Eileen and Yi, they have freed themselves from the racist US Regime. We have all seen how America treats their Asian Athletes, these girls know there’s no future doing anything for the ungrateful Americans. Who can forget the racist attack on Gold Medalist Suni Lee last year?

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