Winter Olympics 2026: China reportedly paid U.S.-born athletes, including Eileen Gu, nearly $14 million

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Winter Olympics 2026: China reportedly paid U.S.-born athletes, including Eileen Gu, nearly $14 million

Sat, February 14, 2026 at 1:08 PM UTC

2 min read

Ever since Eileen Gu decided to compete under the flag of China, and not the United States where she was born, her citizenship has been the subject of scrutiny and controversy.

Born in San Francisco, she said her decision to switch allegiance back in 2019 had everything to do with “inspiring” children from the country of her mother at the Olympics in her home country. That would be the 2022 Beijing Games, where Gu won two golds and a silver for China in freestyle skiing.

She’s since become a millionaire many times over, mainly due to her online presence and endorsements, not her skiing. She was the fourth-highest earning female athlete in 2025, earning upwards of $23 million. According to Sportico, all but $20,000 of that $23 million came from endorsements.

Now, she’s back in the Olympics, still competing for China and, reportedly, being paid handsomely to do so.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gu and Zhu Yi, a fellow American-born figure skater who now competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In all, the two were reportedly paid nearly $14 million over the past three years.

The payments were revealed when the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau budget was posted online with the names of Gu and Zhu. Their names have since been scrubbed from the public report.

Gu already has a silver in slopestyle in Italy, while Zhu — born Beverly Zhu in Los Angeles — is not competing in the 2026 Games.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders,” Gu said after winning silver in slopestyle. “Just being able to ski through all of that, you know. To still show my best and still be so deeply in love with the sport.

"That's really what I care about and I'm so happy to represent that today."

The subject of Gu’s citizenship remains shrouded in mystery. China does not allow dual citizenship, meaning Gu ostensibly had to give up her U.S. passport.

Gu will compete in two more events — women’s halfpipe and big air.

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