US-Born Skier Eileen Gu, Who Won Gold For China At The Olympics, Responds To Netizen Who Asked Why She Can Use Instagram In China
Western news outlets have accused China of using the 18-year-old as a PR prop.
It’s barely been a week since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games kicked off and there are already a few controversies making headlines.
One of the most talked-about Olympians recently is 18-year-old Eileen Gu, who took home gold in the inaugural women’s freeski big air event on Tuesday (Feb 8).
Despite being born in California, Eileen, who has an American father and a Chinese mother, opted to represent China instead of the United States, a decision that has become a point of contention for some folks.
A triumphant Eileen after her win
Western news outlets have accused China of using Eileen as a PR prop as the country faces scrutiny over its human rights atrocities and the Peng Shuai saga, in which the tennis champ accused a former high-ranking Chinese official of sexual assault before retracting her claim.
The teen’s evasive answers to questions regarding her nationality — did she give up her American passport to compete for China or not? — at her post-win press conference were also thrust into the spotlight and dissected left and right.
Eileen, who is also a model, has been dubbed the “Snow Princess”
While Eileen’s Instagram posts are mostly filled with supportive and congratulatory messages, there are still a number of criticisms, mostly about how she has “betrayed” the U.S. to be used as a “propaganda machine” for China.
Then there was one user, known as @cilla.chan, who had one very particular gripe: How is Eileen even on Instagram when the app is blocked in China?
“Why can you use Instagram and millions of Chinese people from mainland cannot, why you got such special treatment as a Chinese citizen. That’s not fair, can you speak up for those millions of Chinese who don’t have internet freedom (sic)”, reads the comment.
And Eileen herself actually responded, writing: “anyone can download a vpn its literally free on the App Store (sic)”.
However, the thread now appears to have been deleted… probably ‘cos most VPNs, which can bypass the Great Firewall of China, are banned there.
Of course, there are screenshots of the convo
Not everyone is warming up to her
Photos: Eileen Gu/Instagram, Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS/TPG, Paul Hanna/UPI/TPG, @Byron_Wan/Twitter
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