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Eileen Gu, an Olympic freestyle skier who was born in America but competes for China, has reportedly received substantial financial backing from the Chinese government, as highlighted in a recent report.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a public budget for 2025 indicated that “the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau planned to allocate” $6.6 million to both Gu and fellow U.S.-born athlete Zhu Yi, a figure skater.
Interestingly, the report notes that their names were subsequently “removed from the budgets shortly after these details became public.”
Despite this funding, Gu is already recognized as “one of the highest-earning female athletes globally,” according to the same report.
In January, Warner Todd Huston of Breitbart News highlighted Gu’s interview with TIME, where she, a “two-time gold medalist,” justified her choice to represent China by saying, “the U.S. already has ample representation.”
In total, Beijing’s sports bureau was set to pay Gu and Zhu nearly 100 million yuan, or $14 million over the past three years. The most recent allocation was for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics,” according to the budget.
The money from the Chinese government to Gu comes as she is “already one of the highest paid female athletes in the world,” according to the outlet.
Breitbart News’s Warner Todd Huston reported in January that in an interview with TIME, Gu, who is a “two-time gold medalist” defended her decision to compete for China, stating that “the U.S. already has the representation.”
Gu also reportedly claimed that “the potential to earn more representing Chinese companies didn’t cross her mind.”
Breitbart News also reported that Gu criticized President Donald Trump’s words about Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess, after Hess said it was “a little hard” for him to “wear Team USA gear.” Hess also stated that there was “a lot going on” in the United States that he wasn’t “the biggest fan of.”
In response to Trump labeling Hess a “real Loser,” Gu said she found Trump’s “critique of Hess inconsistent with the spirit of the Games.”