Alysa Liu & Eileen Gu: Chinese American Olympic Stars Caught in Geopolitical Crossfire

Chinese American Olympians Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu competed for different countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics, drawing media dialogue on how the two have gotten caught up in the geopolitical tensions between the US and China.

National Context: Gu, a skier, and Liu, a figure skater, were both born in California and grew up in the Bay Area. Liu was born to a Chinese father, Arthur, and an anonymous surrogate mother. Arthur was a dissident in China and sought refuge in the United States in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests. Gu was born to a Chinese mother and American father.

Sports Context: Liu retired from skating when she was 16 and recently made her return in preparation for the Olympics. She has only ever competed for America. Gu previously competed for America but switched to represent China in 2022 as part of a Chinese campaign to recruit foreign-born Chinese athletes. According to Fox News (Right bias) Liu was also a "top" target of this program. Gu has won six Olympic medals: in 2022, two golds and a silver, and in 2026, two silvers and a gold. Liu has won two gold medals, both in 2026; one was an individual medal, and the other was from a team event. The two appear to have a good relationship, as when Liu won her individual gold, Gu commented on her post, "YESSSSSS."

Key Quotes: Vice President JD Vance said, "Somebody who grew up in the USA, who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that make this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States." Gu told USA Today (Lean Left), "So many athletes compete for a different country. People only have a problem with me because they lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China."

Commentator Reactions: Many American commentators have boosted Liu throughout the Olympics. Barstool Sports (Center) founder Dave Portnoy wrote, "Alysa Liu > Eileen Gu 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸." Dustin Grage of Townhall (Right) said Liu "chose to represent America" while Gu "chose to represent the CCP for money" and that the two "are not the same."

How The Media Covered It: Several mainstream outlets described Gu and Liu as being caught in the crossfire of geopolitical tensions. Fox News said they are "on opposite sides of an Olympic proxy war" in its headline and noted that they are both Bay Area Chinese Americans in its subhead. NBC News (Lean Left) described the comparison as "uncomfortable" in its headline and called Liu's backstory "inspiring" in its subhead. It opened by saying the two "find themselves in a side-by-side contrast they never asked for, pitted against each other in a geopolitical battle they never sought."

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