Winter Olympics: why has Eileen Gu’s ‘Chineseness’ sparked a raging debate on nationality and allegiance to China and US?

The double gold medallist freestyle skier says her heart belongs to both countries but many Chinese and Americans want her to make a choice

China does not allow dual citizenship but sceptics are wondering if the country has bent its own laws to accommodate the likes of Gu, Zhu and their ice hockey teams

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Eileen Gu shows off the half-pipe gold medal she won for China at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Jack Lau

Published: 8:15am, 20 Feb 2022Updated: 5:20pm, 18 Apr 2022

The success of freestyle skier Eileen Gu at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has generated heated debate in some circles on the issue of athletes who have abandoned the country they were born and raised in to represent another.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) may tout the Games as a celebration of sportsmanship and unity, but some spectators have taken it as an all-or-nothing contest between nations.

For athletes representing China such as Gu and figure skater Zhu Yi, both California-born, and most of the women’s and men’s ice hockey teams, sitting astride the divide of national identities means facing unrelenting questions about their nationality and even allegiance.

The Olympic Charter, which shapes how the Olympic Games are run, says a competitor must be the national of the country of their Olympic committee. Athletes can change the country they represent, and those with multiple citizenships can choose to represent any one of them of their choice.

The IOC said in an email that Gu had acquired Chinese nationality in 2019, and the sporting body had seen a copy of her Chinese passport submitted by the Chinese Olympic Committee.