OLYMPICS

The Olympians caught up in the U.S.-China rivalry

American athletes of Chinese descent at the Games are targets of patriotic and even nationalistic sentiment from both countries: sometimes adoring, sometimes hostile

Eileen Gu celebrates her silver medal win for China in the freeski slopestyle competition on Tuesday. | CHANG W. LEE / THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Amy Qin
The New York Times

Feb 17, 2022

BEIJING –

When figure skater Nathan Chen won an Olympic gold medal for the United States, the state media in China, his parents’ birthplace, practically ignored his victory.

When California-born skater Beverly Zhu stumbled on the ice in her first appearance for China, Chinese social media users told her to "go back to America.”

When Eileen Gu won gold skiing for China, people in China celebrated her as the nation’s pride. But in the United States, where she was born and trained, some conservative political pundits called her ungrateful.

The Olympians caught up in the U.S.-China rivalry

American athletes of Chinese descent at the Games are targets of patriotic and even nationalistic sentiment from both countries: sometimes adoring, sometimes hostile

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