Eileen Gu, world’s greatest free skier chooses China over the USA: agreement, outrage, indifference?

This is clearly a capitalist play on her part. Grab the money and become the biggest influencer possible. Surely the right can get behind that?

It is pretty clear she doesn’t want to make any political statements. This is all about the money.

Where are all the posters that want high schoolers to go pro for the money? That is all that matters, right?

Do you think being born and raised in America is a black box, where kids go in one end and come out the other as flag-waiving patriots? I'm not sure what kind of life you lived, but it's not uncommon for kids, especially minority kids, to have negative experiences in American society and then later on find more common ground with another culture that wholeheartedly embraces them. But sure. "Totalitarian regime;" more buzzwords that you learned in 10th grade social studies, please.

She wasn't that good of runner

It’s hard to fault an individual for choosing the country most advantageous for them when it’s something that corporations do all the time.

Maybe someone already suggested that making Nikes overseas instead of generating jobs for Americans is far sketchier.

If she gives up her US Citizenship, can she still go to Stanford?

BYURUN4HER wrote:

If she gives up her US Citizenship, can she still go to Stanford?

Yes, Stanford takes students from other countries.

But there is no actual indication of her giving up her US citizenship aside from a lot of speculation.

Wise Old Man wrote:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2022/01/31/eileen-gu-china-freestyle-skiing-beijing-olympics/

I was shocked when she elected to represent China, but I realize I see things through a narrow lens. In China she’s a national hero and in the USA she’s simply the best at a niche sport. She’s incredibly talented in many domains. In HS she was a top local runner with no focus on it at all. She was always off skiing.

All I know is that she is hot. I can't care beyond that.

Are you allowed back in the US if you rescind your citizenship though?

Vic Wild, who defected in 2014, just won another medal for mother Russia!

Nothing against Russia, but let's get rid of ALL our baggy pants brigade

Vineyard Vines wrote:

American dad, Chinese mom, born in USA, raised in USA. Decides she wants to compete for a country run by a repressive regime that dumped Covid onto the world. I hope she stays there permanently. Revoke her USA citizenship.

Hey dumpster.

To compete for China she only has Chinese citizenship.

And American Dad? With a surname Gu.

All that means is whoever was her father was a citizen

She's living the American dream. Likely already made a squillion.

BYURUN4HER wrote:

If she gives up her US Citizenship, can she still go to Stanford?

Of course. I was / am Australian and went to college here. Now I am a dual Citizen. China doesn't allow dual citizenship.

And you'll find she has been competing in China for China for a few years, and has already been attending stanford

professional male jogger wrote:

Vineyard Vines wrote:

American dad, Chinese mom, born in USA, raised in USA. Decides she wants to compete for a country run by a repressive regime that dumped Covid onto the world. I hope she stays there permanently. Revoke her USA citizenship.

Hey dumpster.

To compete for China she only has Chinese citizenship.

And American Dad? With a surname Gu.

All that means is whoever was her father was a citizen

She's living the American dream. Likely already made a squillion.

I've softened my opinion on this after reading this discussion. I wish her well.

Her surname is her mother's; she didn't take her father's name.

Anyway, we will forget her soon. Remember when Chloe Kim was a thing in 2018? Now she's back but without much fanfare.

de grasse high wrote:

Her surname is her mother's; she didn't take her father's name.

Anyway, we will forget her soon. Remember when Chloe Kim was a thing in 2018? Now she's back but without much fanfare.

Yeah but Chloe Kim was born in the USA and competed for the USA. Not really seeing the comparison here.

Vineyard Vines wrote:

de grasse high wrote:

Her surname is her mother's; she didn't take her father's name.

Anyway, we will forget her soon. Remember when Chloe Kim was a thing in 2018? Now she's back but without much fanfare.

Yeah but Chloe Kim was born in the USA and competed for the USA. Not really seeing the comparison here.

The point is -- there is always some starlet of the Olympics and then they are soon forgotten later. I used CK because she is in a similar discipline and is a tiny / cute / too young Asian female.

BTW, CK has said she feels the same duality with Korea but ultimately represented the US. It's a tough decision for some people, and speaks to the outdated notion that is being only tied to one country for the sake of some competition.

There is a clear racist view here.

The number of times I have seen her Father referred to as American.

I can't find him anywhere.

Is his surname Gu?

The assumption is he is a white American.

Could he be - Like Eileen Gu - a Chinese guy born in America with citizenship. Because, you know, he was born here.

The scoop here is that she's a half Chinese, half American (whatever the F that is) and she just dropped her American citizenship to compete for China. She swapped in June 2019. No one cared then, because no one cared about snowboarding. Its not Disney on ice FFS. And there is at least 4 others like her in this games.

Meanwhile she's a super model in China.

Its all about the money. She's not an idiot. She made the best decision for her self.

I don't see any criticisms of Mondo DuPlantis

There are a lot of holier than thou people on this thread

So....why aren't we talking about Mondo, again?

SalAl wrote:

So....why aren't we talking about Mondo, again?

Cos China.

professional male jogger wrote:

The number of times I have seen her Father referred to as American.

The assumption is he is a white American.

Could he be - Like Eileen Gu - a Chinese guy born in America with citizenship.

The scoop here is that she's a half Chinese, half American (whatever the F that is) and she just dropped her American citizenship to compete for China.

Her father is a white American, NOT a Chinese American.

And there is no evidence that she has dropped her American citizenship. That is just speculation on the part of people who like to make assumptions.