Alysa Liu Turns Down $23M from CCP While Eileen Gu Becomes the World’s Highest-Paid Athlete – What’s Behind the Contrasting Choices?
Alysa Liu Refused CCP’s $23M While Eileen Gu Became World’s Highest-Paid Athlete — What Led to These Diverging Paths?
The Milan 2026 Winter Olympics have become a battleground for not just athletic excellence but national pride, with two Chinese-American athletes — Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu — becoming the subjects of a fierce and ongoing debate about loyalty, identity, and the complexities of dual nationality. While both women are immensely talented and have captured global attention, the paths they’ve chosen and the decisions they’ve made have resulted in drastically different public perceptions.
Alysa Liu, who represented Team USA in figure skating, won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, making history for her country. Eileen Gu, on the other hand, took silver in the women’s freestyle skiing slopestyle event while representing Team China. These two athletes, both of Chinese heritage, have been hailed as national heroes, but their choices — and the controversies surrounding them — have turned them into symbols of the ongoing political and cultural tensions between the U.S. and China.
In the U.S., Alysa Liu is celebrated as a patriot for her achievements, while Eileen Gu has been labeled a traitor by some critics. This article explores the diverging paths of these two incredible athletes, examining the reasons behind their decisions and the impact these choices have had on their careers and their public lives. Let’s dive into the details of their respective journeys and what led to their contrasting fates.
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Chapter 1: The Origins of Two Stars
Both Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu come from Chinese-American backgrounds, and both have been under intense scrutiny for their choices to represent different countries in the Olympics. Despite their similar backgrounds, the paths they took were strikingly different.
Alysa Liu was born in 2005 in California to her father Liu Jun Guo, who raised her as a single parent. With a passion for skating from an early age, Alysa began skating at the age of five, and by eight, she was training seriously. In 2019, Alysa made history by becoming the youngest women’s singles champion in U.S. history at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The young athlete continued to break records, landing difficult jumps and excelling in competitions, and she became known for her incredible ability to perform on the biggest stages, even at a young age.
On the other hand, Eileen Gu was born in 2003 in San Francisco to a Chinese mother, Gu Yan, and an American father. Raised by her mother and grandmother, Eileen was introduced to skiing at an early age when her mother took her to Lake Tahoe at the age of three. Her talent for freestyle skiing was undeniable, and she quickly rose to prominence. Eileen became a sensation by representing China in the international freestyle skiing circuit, winning medals and captivating audiences worldwide. Her decision to switch allegiance to China at the age of 15 — instead of competing for the U.S. — was a pivotal moment in her career and sparked a firestorm of controversy.
Chapter 2: The Decision That Changed Everything
The defining difference between Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu lies in their choices regarding nationality. While Liu steadfastly chose to represent Team USA throughout her career, Gu’s decision to switch her allegiance to China in 2019 raised eyebrows, especially in the United States. This decision was met with both praise and criticism. On one hand, Gu’s choice was seen as a strategic move to inspire young girls in China, where winter sports like freestyle skiing are not as developed. On the other hand, many critics felt betrayed by Gu, questioning her loyalty to the country that had given her so many opportunities, including her education, social environment, and the chance to grow up in California.
Gu herself explained her decision to represent China as one motivated by her desire to connect with her Chinese heritage and inspire young girls in the country to pursue winter sports. “The opportunity to inspire millions of young people where my mom was born during the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help promote the sport I love,” she said. “Through skiing, I hope to unite people, promote common understanding, create communication, and forge friendships between nations.”
However, for Alysa Liu, the situation was entirely different. Despite being approached by Chinese agents who reportedly offered her $23 million to switch allegiance and represent China, Liu’s father, Liu Jun Guo, refused to entertain the idea. His rejection was rooted in his own deep-seated values of freedom and integrity. Liu Jun Guo, a practicing attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party and an advocate for democracy. He made it clear that Alysa’s allegiance would always lie with the United States, the country that had given her the opportunity to thrive. “We came to America for freedom, not for money,” Liu Jun Guo said.
The pressure from the Chinese authorities was immense. At one point, a suspect posing as a representative from the U.S. Olympic Committee reached out to Liu Jun Guo, trying to convince him to allow Alysa to switch to Chinese citizenship. The offer allegedly included very generous financial incentives, but Liu stood firm in his decision. It was a matter of principle. He had brought his family to the U.S. to enjoy the freedoms that the country offers, and he was unwilling to compromise that for financial gain.
Chapter 3: The Pressure of Representation
While Alysa Liu’s decision was relatively simple, her journey to the Olympics was not without its challenges. After finishing sixth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics — despite being one of the top contenders — Liu admitted in a 60 Minutes interview that her performance at the Games had been affected by psychological pressure. “I’m already here — that’s it,” she said. “Nothing can affect my mood.”
Liu’s candid comments hinted at an internal conflict — one between her desire to succeed on the world stage and the intense pressure to live up to expectations placed on her as one of the U.S.’s top athletes. The added scrutiny regarding her decision not to switch nationalities only compounded these challenges.
Gu, on the other hand, faced different pressures. Competing under China’s banner, Gu’s success was not only about representing her personal athletic ability but also about the broader political implications of her decision. In China, Gu was celebrated as a national hero, but in the U.S., her decision was met with skepticism and accusations of betrayal. Throughout the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Gu performed admirably, winning two gold medals and one silver, but the political baggage that came with her choice continued to follow her.
Chapter 4: The Divergence of Their Paths
The paths of these two extraordinary athletes diverged dramatically after the Beijing Olympics. Alysa Liu, after a period of reflection and a brief retirement, made her return to competitive skating in 2024 and captured a world championship title in 2025. Liu has since gone on to solidify her place as one of America’s top figure skaters, winning gold for Team USA at the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics in the figure skating team event.
Eileen Gu, meanwhile, continued to represent China in freestyle skiing. Her success has catapulted her to international stardom, and she became the highest-paid female athlete in the world in 2025. Gu earned a staggering $23 million in endorsement deals, much of which came from her lucrative agreements with Chinese brands. However, this commercial success has not shielded her from public scrutiny, particularly in the U.S., where her decision to represent China continues to be viewed with suspicion by some.
Chapter 5: The Political Dimension
While their athletic careers have been defined by their immense talent, both Liu and Gu have found themselves caught in the crossfire of geopolitics. The Chinese-American divide, especially in the context of the U.S.-China relationship, has created a complex and often difficult environment for athletes like Liu and Gu, who straddle two worlds.
Liu, who chose to remain loyal to the U.S., is celebrated as a patriotic figure in the U.S., while Gu, who embraced her Chinese heritage and opted to represent China, has faced criticism for what some view as a betrayal of her American roots. The offers from the Chinese government were undoubtedly enticing, but for Liu, her family’s principles and values were more important than any financial incentive.
Eileen Gu’s decision, however, has been influenced by her unique upbringing and her desire to inspire young girls in China. Her choice to represent China was not about rejecting the U.S., but rather about connecting with her heritage and inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.
Chapter 6: The Future for Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu
As the two women continue to excel in their respective sports, their decisions will continue to be a topic of debate and discussion. For Alysa Liu, her unwavering loyalty to Team USA and her incredible athletic accomplishments have solidified her place as one of the greatest figure skaters in the world. Meanwhile, Eileen Gu’s rise to fame as China’s most successful freestyle skier and highest-paid female athlete has turned her into an icon — but one whose identity is often questioned in the eyes of the American public.
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Ultimately, both Liu and Gu have made choices that reflect their personal values, their upbringing, and their unique sense of identity. For Liu, it was about staying true to her roots in the United States and representing the country that allowed her to pursue her dreams. For Gu, it was about embracing her dual heritage and forging her own path, one that transcends national boundaries.
Their contrasting decisions reflect the complexities of global identity, the weight of national loyalty, and the impact that personal choices can have on an athlete’s career. While their fates may be different, both Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu have shown the world the power of sport to unite, inspire, and spark conversation about identity in an increasingly interconnected world.
