The Winter Olympics with 4 Stanford students - Printable Version

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RE: The Winter Olympics with 4 Stanford students - skip75 - 02-23-2026

(02-19-2026, 07:22 PM)82lsju Wrote:  

(02-19-2026, 07:08 PM)BostonCard Wrote:  Some food for thought, when you compete for a country in an international competition, who are you competing for, the country, its people or its government?

BC

I find the construct of the Olympics (and many international competitions) as trying to be "apolitical" somewhat humorous as they are a lot about nationalism, competition as country, the winner has their national anthem played, they tally medals by country, for any particular athlete they might think they are competing for their country or people or government but most likely are thinking more about competing for themselves and what winning means to them as an individual.  Some may be highly motivated by governmental financial support leading up to the competitions and additional rewards (or penalties) based on their results.

Going back to Gu, I think she (or her mom or both) made a business decision years ago that she/they thought would we best to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo_gb_a83xA

I came upon this interview with Alysa Liu. I found all of it to be interesting (some of it pretty well known now after all the coverage of her during the Olympics). She addresses the question of what "Team USA" means to her starting at 9:20 - interesting perspective from a thoughtful athlete.

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RE: The Winter Olympics with 4 Stanford students - Papa John - 02-24-2026

(02-23-2026, 06:35 PM)ADPinWDC Wrote:  BASE CASE:  Do we think China is an "enemy"... on par with Soviet Union in 1972 Olympics, 1976 or 1980?  
Would Gu catch any flack in those games for skiing for the USSR?  
I'll venture her citizenship would be forfeit.   [Gu is a US citizen, born in San Fran]  

I don't think anyone is disputing that China is an enemy of the USA, and from what I can tell everyone on this board wishes that Eileen Gu continued to compete for the US, which is what she did until the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

I am willing to believe EG's statements about wanting to encourage more girls and young women to participate in winter sports in China. Just consider EG's background. She was born to a Chinese-immigrant mother and an American father. The father is a total mystery and, from what I can tell, has had such minimal influence on EG that she has taken her mother's family name. So she was raised as a Chinese and an American by her mom and her maternal grandmother. She has lived significant parts of her life in China, not as an athlete or a tourist, but as a Chinese. It's perfectly feasible to me that she sees herself as serving her country, with country being defined by the people, and not necessarily the government.

To me, the fact that EG is taking NIL from the Chinese government actually makes her seem American. For example, a number of NBA players who also played in the Olympics have profited immensely from their relationships with Chinese companies (e.g. LeBron James, Klay Thompson, Anthony Edwards). I haven't heard them, or with a few exceptions anyone in the NBA, speaking out against the atrocities committed by the Chinese government. Granted these basketball players played for the USA, but they are not Chinese. Eileen Gu is.

Again, I would prefer that Eileen Gu compete on behalf of the USA in the Olympics, but I cheer for her because of her Stanford ties. And I'm willing to accept that her service-oriented personal convictions are sincere and her business savvy is formidable, both equally true.

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RE: The Winter Olympics with 4 Stanford students - Leftcoast - 02-24-2026

Having traveled for work and pleasure in China many times, I find the recent othering of China a bit crazy. The average street in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou and particularly Hong Kong might look more like the West than many who've never visited imagine.  The people I met there look and worry about the same things of those I talk to daily in Silicon Valley.  Somehow we went from seeing China as a strong rival to our Tier 1 enemy in the last decade and recently the vitriol has gotten over-the-top (not from here, other spots on the internet). This is not a good thing.

But taking the focus narrower ... At the end of the day, we are talking about a young lady of dual heritage who chose to represent her mother's country rather than her father's. This happens often. I'm sure lots of reasons figure into her choice but we're not her and can't know all her reasons. She simply has another anthem played should she make the top spot on a podium and she would stand under a different flag.

What I do know is I'd prefer NOT to recruit her into becoming a cold war era soldier forced to fight her mother's heritage. I don't need to hear her answer for all China's many sins in post competition interviews. I may root harder for Alysa Liu but that doesn't mean I need to vilify Eileen Gu.  

Mods-No issue if this stream crosses a line and you delete.  I realize we're getting close.

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RE: The Winter Olympics with 4 Stanford students - Canalejas - 02-24-2026

My lone trip to China was just over twenty years ago.  

(Incidentally, that was just a few months before I became a US citizen, so my visa was $15 cheaper than it would have been a year later.  Score!)

Beijing was great. It reminded me so much of both of the worlds I grew up in. Getting around on buses and subways, hanging out in public plazas, and cramming way too many people into a taxi felt exactly like my memories of México as a little kid. Except for the language barrier, of course. 

But it also felt a bit like home because my pre-Stanford days here in the US were spent in one of those pockets of the San Gabriel Valley that is majority Asian, with the bulk of that being Chinese/Taiwanese. The trip certainly brought me to a different world, but not one that was entirely unfamiliar.  

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In the times that I've fantasized about being an Olympic champion I've told myself that the obvious decision, given the choice, would be to represent the US. After all, I've lived here nearly all my life and completed all of my post-kindergarten schooling here. But somehow I know that my mom's smile would be just a bit wider if the anthem playing was el Himno Nacional Mexicano. So maybe not so obvious after all.

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