Frank Rondel
Eileen Gu, China’s most recognisable winter sports star, is set to command global attention once again at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, as questions surrounding her nationality and passport status resurface alongside her competitive ambitions, reports customreceipt.com via South China Morning Post.
The 22-year-old freestyle skiing champion first became a focal point of international debate during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where she won two gold medals and one silver for China. Born and raised in San Francisco, Gu initially competed for the United States before switching her sporting allegiance in 2019 to represent China, her mother’s homeland. While her performances on snow earned widespread acclaim, the decision also drew scrutiny because China does not allow dual citizenship, raising persistent questions about whether she relinquished her US passport.
Gu’s choice placed her at the centre of geopolitical and cultural discussion, particularly given the broader rivalry between China and the United States. Despite this, she has repeatedly sought to redirect attention toward her athletic achievements. Speaking ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games, Gu said she found it “sad” that public discourse often focused more on her nationality than on her results in competition.
Since Beijing 2022, Gu has continued to build an elite sporting résumé. She recently claimed her 19th World Cup victory after powering through difficult wind conditions on the same mountain near Beijing where she won Olympic gold four years earlier, then secured a 20th World Cup title in Switzerland a month later. Her success has reinforced her status as China’s leading winter sports athlete heading into the 2026 Games.
Alongside her sporting career, Gu studies at Stanford University and has established herself as a prominent fashion model. She remains based in the United States and is active on Instagram, a platform banned in China, where she has amassed around two million followers. Her social media presence blends competition footage with high-profile modelling work, reflecting a dual career that has significantly boosted her global profile.
According to Forbes, Gu was the fourth-highest-paid female athlete in 2025. While her earnings from skiing amounted to about US$95,000, she generated approximately US$23 million from endorsements and off-field activities. Her commercial partnerships include major global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, IWC watches, Red Bull and Porsche.
In China, Gu’s image is highly visible on billboards and magazine covers, and she is frequently praised in domestic media for her fluent Mandarin and transnational upbringing between California and Beijing. On Chinese social media, she is affectionately known as the “Frog Princess,” a nickname inspired by the green helmet she once wore in competition. At the same time, she has faced criticism, particularly after voicing support for Salt Lake City’s bid to host a future Winter Olympics, which triggered debate among Chinese netizens about her motivations.
In 2025, controversy also emerged when a document outlining plans to spend more than US$6.6 million on training for Gu and another US-born athlete appeared to be censored online. Although the document remained accessible on a Beijing government website, references to the two athletes were later removed.
Gu has consistently avoided direct answers about her citizenship status. During the Beijing Games, she described herself as “just as American as I am Chinese,” and has maintained that stance since. Asked whether she would resolve speculation by publicly showing a Chinese passport, she said she had no desire to do so.
As Milan-Cortina approaches, Gu emphasises that representing a country other than one’s birthplace is not unusual in elite sport. She has reiterated that her long-standing goal is to broaden the reach of freestyle skiing rather than engage in debates over nationality, a message she says has remained unchanged since before she envisioned an Olympic career.
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