As corporate media continues to glorify those who snub American values, Eileen Gu, an Olympic skier born and raised in the United States who chose to compete for Communist China, landed herself on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Dubbed “Genocide Barbie” by critics for her decision to represent a regime responsible for horrific human rights abuses, Gu used her talents to compete for the United States’ enemy rather than celebrate American patriotism and the country that gave her the opportunity to succeed.
Born in San Francisco, Gu has an American father and a Chinese mother and switched her competitive allegiance from the U.S. to China in 2019. Many critics viewed her choice as opportunistic, suggesting that she had leveraged her American training to compete in China. While Gu has not publicly stated her citizenship status, the Chinese government does not recognize dual citizenship.
During the 2022 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu took home gold medals for China in both the big air and halfpipe events, along with a silver in slopestyle. Now preparing to represent Team China in the 2026 Games once again, Gu continues to face backlash for sidestepping questions about China’s human rights abuses. Her silence on these issues has earned her the nickname “Genocide Barbie,” and many on social media have labeled her a “traitor” for choosing to compete for an authoritarian regime over the country of her birth.
Former Winter X Games gold medalist Jen Hudak criticized Gu’s decision as self-serving, arguing that she took advantage of American training resources and opportunities, only to turn around and represent China on the world stage.
“It is not my place to judge, but Eileen is from California, not from China, and her decision [to ski for China] seems opportunistic,” she said.
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“She became the athlete she is because she grew up in the United States, where she had access to premier training grounds and coaching that, as a female, she might not have had in China,” Hudak added. “I think she would be a different skier if she grew up in China.”
HBO host and comedian Bill Maher also criticized Gu for choosing China over the United States.
“Is that cool now? To choose to represent a totalitarian police state over America?” he said.
