The Beijing Winter Olympics have had their share of controversy and debate. They were notably the scene of a new series of verbal clashes between China and the United States. In addition to the tensions generated on a global scale, this antagonism between the two great powers has unusual repercussions for Americans and Americans of Chinese descent, whose identity is mixed.
The scenarios vary, as do the situations, but from Eileen Gu to Nathan Chen to Zhu Yi, these Olympic athletes are getting a lot of attention and commentary that ranges from praise to threats. Here are their portraits, caught between the American eagle and the Chinese dragon.
High profile case
Eileen Gu’s case is perhaps the most publicized. The young woman, born in the United States 18 years ago, chose to represent China, her mother’s country of origin, at the Beijing Games. And she does it successfully, racking up medals in freestyle skiing. Named Gu Ailing in China, both the Chinese public and sponsors welcome her with open arms, propelling her to iconic status. But, the Chinese government not recognizing dual nationality unlike the IOC, Gu had to give up his American citizenship. This decision was strongly criticized in the United States, the sportswoman having even been the subject of death threats. He is criticized for his “betrayal” and his greed. It is true that, unlike the United States where many Olympic athletes, even gold medalists, live in a certain anonymity, this is far from being the case for Eileen Gu. The sportswoman, who speaks Mandarin, accumulates juicy advertising contracts, representing no less than 23 Chinese brands. Far from being a bridge between the two countries and the two cultures, the young athlete symbolizes despite herself the tensions between the two powers: adored in China, vilified in the United States.
Still, Gu isn’t the only American-born athlete to make the decision to represent China at the Games. But not all were accepted with such enthusiasm by their new compatriots. The case of figure skater Zhu Yi is particularly striking. As soon as she entered the Beijing Games, the skater, born in California, fell twice. His lackluster performance earned him an avalanche of criticism on Chinese social media, including internet platform Weibo. The attacks were so numerous and violent that Weibo decided to delete more than 71,000 comments and ban 2,000 accounts that attacked the young woman. Zhu Yi, whose sporting results have disappointed, has not benefited from much indulgence on the part of her new compatriots and she is far from having had the same reception as Gu.
under american flag
On the other hand, some Chinese-American athletes who have chosen to compete under the United States flag have also had to deal with criticism and disgraceful comments. And this, even by being victorious. Nathan Chen, the first Asian American to win gold in men’s figure skating, paid the price. If his victory was noticed, in Games where the gold medals are not so numerous for the United States, an article in the New York Times nevertheless saw fit to take this opportunity to highlight the “overrepresentation” of American skaters in Asian origin. Violently criticized for its racist content, the article nevertheless illustrates a tendency to consider athletes according to their identity rather than their performance. If the criticism is all the more virulent when the prowess declines, the case of Chen reveals an insidious facet: despite his victory, his identity is evoked in ambiguous and controversial terms.
Right now, diplomatic tensions between China and the United States may explain some of the criticism these athletes are facing. Attention is particularly focused on their mixed heritage due to current events. Competing in the Olympic Games, which have always played on the seemingly contradictory promotion between the universalism of the unifying sporting event and the glorification of nationalism with anthems, flags and the counting of medals by country, adds an additional obstacle: in this competition, it seems preferable not to have complex and mixed origins. At the risk of ending up with torn identities.