Vance responds to the controversy over the decision of Olympic athlete Eileen Gu of China
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Vice President JD Vance addressed the controversy over Olympic skier Eileen Gu choosing to compete against China instead of the US on Tuesday.
Vance admitted that he “doesn’t know” what Gu’s status “should be,” during an interview with Fox News’ “A Matter of Martha McCallum.” But the VP said he hopes that American citizens will choose to compete with the US in the world.
“I don’t know what his status should be, I think that’s up to the Olympic Committee, I’m not going to get into that,” Vance said.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH ONE OF THE GAMES ON FOXNEWS.COM
Silver medalist Ailing Eileen Gu of Team People’s Republic of China looks on during the Womens Freeski Big Air medal ceremony on day 10 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 16, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, the freedom and the freedom that makes this country a great place, I would hope that they want to compete with the United States of America. So, I’m going to focus on American athletes, I think part of that is people who identify as Americans. That’s what I said in this Olympics.”
Gu has been at the center of international criticism, especially from the Americans, regarding his decision to represent China at the Olympics. He is also representing China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
EILEEN GU GARNERS BACKLASH FOR COMMENT ON TRUMP’S STATEMENT DURING CHINA.
China’s Eileen Gu reacts after running two Freestyle Skiing events, the Womens Freeski Slopestyle Final at Livigno Snow Park, on the third day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in Italy, on Feb. 9, 2026. (Photos by David Davies/PA via Getty Images)
He grew up in California and attended Stanford, although his mother is a first-generation Chinese immigrant to the US
He made his decision to compete in China in 2019. Gu said at the time that it was an “incredibly difficult” decision, and the American people did not like his decision much given the geopolitical tensions between the US and China.
Gu is the highest paid The Winter Olympics athlete in the world, making an estimated 23 million dollars in 2025 only between relations with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China, and western companies. Gu said he represents China to his mother, who was born there.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Eileen Gu of China competes in the double run of the Womens Freeski Big Air Final on day 10 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 16, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Gu and Zhu Yi, another American-born skater competing in China, were paid 6.6 million yuan by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 “for striving for the best qualifying results for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In total, the two have reportedly been paid an estimated $14 million over the past three years.
Gu has never spoken publicly about China’s alleged human rights abuses, including the nation’s alleged systematic crackdown on Uyghurs and other sub-Muslim ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, or the arrest of politician Jimmy Lai.
Gu has won two silver medals in freestyle skiing in Milan Cortina, in slopestyle and big wind events. He has one final event, the halfpipe, left on Saturday, where he has a chance to add to his score.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and register at the Fox News Sports Huddle.
