US-born Eileen Gu’s US$6.6m training budget censored on Chinese internet
Hong Kong Free Press
Chinese authorities appear to have censored a document showing plans to spend more than US$6.6 million this year on training for two American-born winter sport athletes, including double-Olympic gold medallist Eileen Gu.
Freestyle skier Gu and figure skater Beverly Zhu were both born and raised in the United States, but switched allegiance to China.
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Gu’s medal success — she won two golds and a silver — made her a national hero, while Zhu’s blunder-filled performance saw her criticised online.
A document published last week by the Beijing city government designated 48.14 million yuan (US$6.64 million) worth of funds for training ahead of the 2026 Milan games for the two athletes, according to reports from a monitoring organisation and local media.
The document was still available on the Beijing government website as of Wednesday morning, but mention of the two athletes was gone.
A report covering the document by independent Chinese financial magazine Caixin was also taken down, and the news has been removed from other sites too, according to news and censorship monitor China Digital Times (CDT).
The US$6.64 million was designated as “assurance expenditure for the competition training of talented athletes”, according to a screenshot of the government document published by CDT.
“Gu and Zhu will continue to represent Beijing at their respective competitions,” the document said.
In recent years, China has naturalised foreign-born athletes to boost national squads, notably in football and ice hockey.
Though common in other countries, the recruitment of foreign players is unusual in China where there is minimal inward migration and citizens are banned from holding dual nationality.
Gu’s citizenship status has been the subject of intense scrutiny.
She has repeatedly dodged questions about whether she has relinquished her American passport for a Chinese one.
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