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Former women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe weighed in on the debate over Eileen Gu’s decision to represent China despite growing up in the US
Gu, an American-born athlete who competes for Team China in freeskiing, became one of the most controversial subjects of the Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan while becoming the most accomplished female freeskier in history.
Controversy erupted after The The Wall Street Journal reported that Gu and another American-born athlete who now competes for China were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025.
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Megan Rapinoe warms up before the NWSL Championship semifinal match against San Diego Wave FC at Snapdragon Stadium on November 5, 2023. (Ray Acevedo/USA Today Sports)
Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympic athlete in the world, earning an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone due to partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China and Western companies.
Rapinoe considers Gu’s choice to compete for China an “excellent business decision.”
“Excellent business decision on her part, I just have to say,” Rapinoe said on her podcast with co-host and spouse Sue Bird. “No shame in that game.”
Rapinoe and Bird went on to comment on a viral interaction between Gu and a reporter who asked the skier if she thought her two silver Olympic medals lost opportunities to win gold. Gu suggested that the reporter’s question came from a ridiculous perspective after laughing at him.
“That might be the best answer I’ve ever heard to a question like that,” Bird said. “Perfect response.
Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the freestyle skiing awards ceremony for the women’s freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, on February 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“I love what she said. … She surprised that man, so hard.”
Rapinoe and Bird agreed that Gu’s approach is “a great way to be raised.”
Gu has become a target of global criticism at the Olympics for her decision to represent China while remaining silent on the country’s alleged human rights abuses.
In an interview with Time magazine, Gu was asked about her thoughts on China’s alleged persecution of Uighurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
“I didn’t do the research. I don’t think it’s my business. I don’t want to make big claims on my social media,” Gu replied.
“I’m just more of a skeptic when it comes to data in general. … So it’s not like I can read an article and say, ‘Oh, well, that must be the truth.’ I have to have a ton of evidence. I might have to go to the location, maybe talk to 10 primary source people who are at a location and have experienced life there.
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Eileen Gu of China reacts after her first jump in the women’s freestyle skiing qualification during the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park on February 14, 2026. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
“Then I have to go out and see pictures. I have to listen to recordings. I have to think about how history affects it. Then I have to read books about how politics affects it. This is a lifelong quest. It’s irresponsible to ask me to be a mouthpiece for any agenda.”
Rapinoe and Bird are self-proclaimed champions of equality and social justice. They did not mention Gu’s silence on China’s human rights abuses during Thursday’s podcast episode.
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