American-Born Athletes Competing For China Experience Extra Scrutiny

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🗓️ 17 February 2022

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Just under three dozen of China's athletes competing at the Olympics this year were born in other countries. Most famously, ski prodigy Eileen Gu, who has dozens of brand sponsorships and is praised on Chinese social media. That's in contrast to skater Zhu Yi, who has been called a "disgrace" after she fell during her short program. And the rhetoric appears on both sides. Some U.S. commentators have criticized Gu for her decision to compete for China.

Jules Boykoff is a political science professor at Pacific University and studies the politics of sports. He explains how politics play out in the Olympics. Amy Qin is a China correspondent for the New York Times. Her article on the subject is "The Olympians Caught Up in the U.S.-China Rivalry."

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Millions of people have turned on their televisions to watch athletes from around the world compete in this year's winter Olympics.
0:06.5	And one of the names that have stood out is this one.
0:09.5	Superstar Skier, Eileen Gooh.
0:11.5	Eileen Gooh has been...
0:12.5	And the women's event was Eileen Gooh.
0:15.0	And it's impossible to be in China and not know Eileen Gooh.
0:18.0	Now, if that name is not familiar to you, we will let NPR's Tom Goldman explain who she is.
0:24.0	She was born in San Francisco to a Chinese mother.
0:27.0	She announced a few years ago she would stop competing as a freestyle skier for the US and instead compete for China.
0:34.0	Gooh is sponsored by two dozen brands from Estee Lauder to Oakland.
0:38.0	I hope the youth of the Kongpo is more of a girl.
0:42.0	And she peers constantly in commercials on Chinese television.
0:45.0	Who are you? I am Eileen.
0:47.0	She's known affectionately in China as frog princess with Chinese social media users praising her confidence and beauty.
0:56.0	But the response to Gooh hasn't been a hundred percent positive.
1:00.0	Like, for example, she's been criticized by Chinese social media users for the special treatment she seems to be getting.
1:07.0	She's had to field multiple questions like this one.
1:10.0	One thing we've been trying to clarify, are you still a US citizen or how's that work?
1:15.0	I've always been super outspoken in my gratitude to the US.
1:19.0	The Olympics are political through and through.
1:22.0	Jules Boykopf is a professor of political science at Pacific University in Oregon.
1:27.0	And he says it's not uncommon for Olympic athletes to switch countries.
	...

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