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Opinion
Let the achievements of Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu speak for themselves
The issue is not that one chose to represent China and another the US but that both have been dragged into culture wars not of their making
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Bernard Chan, born in 1965, is a Hong Kong businessman.
Athletes of Asian heritage have come to the fore at this month’s Winter Olympics. They broke records, reshaped perceptions and inspired millions worldwide.
Yet in the United States, the conversation around two of the most successful athletes, Eileen Gu, the freestyle skier representing China, and Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu, has too often drifted from their incredible achievements to questions of identity, loyalty and partisan point-scoring. This speaks volumes about the anxieties of a deeply polarised society.
Gu was raised in California by a Chinese mother and chose to represent China at 15. At the time, her decision drew little attention. Summers spent in China and Mandarin fluency kept her closely connected to her mother’s homeland.
The backlash occurred as she won Olympic gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, with her choice of flag recast as a proxy for a debate over human rights and geopolitics. Despite the fact that at least seven other American-born athletes competed in this year’s Winter Olympics for different countries, Gu appears to be the primary target of criticism.
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