Winter Olympics 2022

[BunsenBurner]

So happy for Jessie Diggins!

[MaineLonghorn]

DH and I were very impressed with her, of course, but had to chuckle when we saw her at the bottom after each run. She was so obviously posing! She will look good on Instagram.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@TS0104

Does anyone want to discuss Eileen Gu? The commentary during her event last night (I will refrain from posting results…and if you are interested in freestyle last night’s event was amazing) was super positive and glowing. I read an interesting article yesterday that was pretty critical of her decision to compete for China instead of US. I can see both sides, but it was interesting to see the different perspectives.

(She is a super talented young freestyle skier born and raised and trained/competed in US, Chinese mother and American father).

@Leigh22

I think she is a well oiled marketing machine for China. Very rehearsed IMO.
I think there is a hypocrisy saying she wants to inspire social change for women, yet is aligned with China.
She’s a fantastic athlete, a joy to watch and very smart. But I do think she will be viewed as an opportunist by many.

I am just starting to follow the story. Puzzling decision to compete for China, particularly since she’s California born and bred, heading to Stanford this fall and was probably a shoo-in for the US team. Of course I don’t know her but I wonder if the choice was made by her mother/family.

[TS0104]

Yes, I think there may have been several factors, and one being that she was a minor when this was put into play and perhaps her parents made it happen. The story (that NBC commentators glowingly spout) is that she made the decision to inspire Chinese girls, and maybe that is true or part true…she is fabulous, and truly would be inspirational.* However, she also has some modeling contracts that people surmise may have come into play. She does seem firmly rooted in US however.

*Side note I just thought of…I guess, how realistic of an inspiration is she to China-born girls, with none of Eileen’s US born and bred freedoms, resources, etc. I’m all for girls having inspiration and role models, but actually no Chinese athlete could follow her path, and who knows what an Olympic path for a Chinese born and resident female really looks like (as we are all still wondering with Peng Shuai for example).

I know it’s not that uncommon for athletes to compete for other countries, probably due to competition in their ‘usual’ country? This doesn’t seem to be the case for Eileen…she has been winning big the past several years, and from my watch I don’t know if there were any other Americans in the final.

[Leigh22]

Also, in interviews with Americans in her sport, they were very upset with her decision to represent China. I’m sure some of it is because she will not be winning for the US, but many are dismayed by her gladly benefiting from all the opportunities in the US to become the athlete she is and then aligning with a country where it probably wouldn’t have been possible.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@TS0104

I know it’s not that uncommon for athletes to compete for other countries, probably due to competition in their ‘usual’ country? This doesn’t seem to be the case for Eileen…she has been winning big the past several years, and from my watch I don’t know if there were any other Americans in the final.

Exactly my thought on this.

@TS0104

she made the decision to inspire Chinese girls

I am not sure it requires her competing for China.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@Leigh22

Also, in interviews with Americans in her sport, they were very upset with her decision to represent China. I’m sure some of it is because she will not be winning for the US, but many are dismayed by her gladly benefiting from all the opportunities in the US to become the athlete she is and then aligning with a country where it probably wouldn’t have been possible.

I can understand that view. I am not so upset with her, because I don’t think it was her decision (alone).

[Leigh22]

I agree - she is very young. But I will say she interviewed like a seasoned politician.

[vpa2019]

I would think it’s a difficult decision to renounce your US citizenship. Although she’s still living and going to school in the US so perhaps it wasn’t.

[sushiritto]

I think I’m way more amenable to an athlete who can’t make the US team, but can make the team of a country where one or both of their parents were born. My friends and family circle has one such athlete that couldn’t make the US team, so they competed for the country of their parent’s origin.

You can compete as a US athlete and still make lots of money in/from China. One such local athlete, Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, is well-liked in China. and is sponsored by Anta, a Chinese shoe company.

I’m not a big fan of Eileen Gu or Zhu Yi, who competed as Beverly Zhu, here in the US. But I’m not letting it keep me up at night either.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@Leigh22

But I will say she interviewed like a seasoned politician.

Just watched an interview. I see what you mean.

[deb922]

@vpa2019

I would think it’s a difficult decision to renounce your US citizenship.

I seriously doubt she has done that. It was not reported. Not on the US part, but I suspect that China did not require her to give up her US citizenship. But then I’m confused how Naomi Osaka lives in the US but competes for Japan.

As someone said, the answer to all of your questions is money.

I woke up early today (not intentional) and got to watch the Nordic skiing sprints live! Jesse!

[2VU0609]

I would be very interested in knowing the financial contribution that China has made to Gu.

[momofboiler1]

I don’t believe you need to relinquish citizenship to compete for another country. You just need parents or grandparents who were citizens of the other country. So many athletes compete for other countries, and plenty of international athletes live and train in the US. IMO, it’s just part of international sports. I’m happy for Eileen.

[roycroftmom]

The US doesnt require it, but China has a policy of not allowing dual nationals. Unless they made an exception for her in this one case

[sushiritto]

Gu has been asked by the press about her citizenship and she’s been evasive. So that tells me something right there.

Doesn’t seem like a hard question to answer for a future Stanford student. I’d guess she doesn’t want the bad press here in the US and hurt her financial outlook, assuming she did relinquish her US citizenship.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@sushiritto

assuming she did relinquish her US citizenship

I highly doubt it. To subject yourself to the whims of an authoritarian government, with no way to obtain US government protection? That would be so incredibly foolish.

[1NJParent]

I believe China made some changes to its laws about two years ago to specifically attract foreign talents (in sciences, technologies, Olympic sports, and other areas).

[sushiritto]

@LostInTheShuffle

I highly doubt it. To subject yourself to the whims of an authoritarian government, with no way to obtain US government protection? That would be so incredibly foolish.

Then just answer the simple question.

[LostInTheShuffle]

@sushiritto

Then just answer the simple question.

Yup.