Funding for Eileen Gu from Chinese Government

Eileen Gu, an Olympic freestyle skier who was born in the U.S. but competes for China, reportedly received substantial financial support from the Chinese government. Recent reports indicate that the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau had earmarked a total of $6.6 million in its 2025 budget for Gu and fellow American-born figure skater Zhu Yi.

However, it seems their names were removed from the budget shortly after being made public. Initially, the figures revealed in this budget included both athletes; although individual payment details were not specified, it’s likely that Gu, a three-time Olympic medalist, received a larger portion of the funds.

The budget suggested that the sports bureau intended to allocate nearly 100 million yuan (around $14 million) over three years for Gu and Zhu, primarily aimed at supporting their preparation for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.

Interestingly, Gu is already considered one of the highest-paid female athletes globally, according to the newspaper’s analysis. She has emphasized, in a previous interview, that the U.S. already has strong representation in sports. Gu also mentioned that the idea of earning more as a representative of a Chinese company never genuinely occurred to her.

Additionally, Gu faced criticism from Trump regarding his comments about fellow athlete Hunter Hess, who expressed discomfort wearing Team USA gear. In response, Gu stated that she believed Trump’s criticisms contradicted the spirit of the team.