Megan Rapinoe says Eileen Gu representing China over US is an 'excellent business decision' amid controversy

Former women's shot subordinate Megan Rapinoe weighed successful connected the statement implicit Eileen Gu's determination to correspond China contempt increasing up successful the U.S. 

Gu, an American-born jock competing for Team China successful freeskiing, became 1 of the astir arguable topics of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics portion becoming the astir accomplished women's freeskier successful history. 

Controversy erupted aft The Wall Street Journal reported that Gu and different American-born jock who present competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 cardinal by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau successful 2025. 

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Megan Rapinoe warms up earlier the NWSL title semifinal crippled against the San Diego Wave FC astatine Snapdragon Stadium Nov. 5, 2023. (Ray Acevedo/USA Today Sports)

Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympics jock successful the world, making an estimated $23 cardinal successful 2025 unsocial owed to partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China and occidental companies. 

Rapinoe considers Gu's prime to vie for China an "excellent concern decision."

"Excellent concern determination connected her part, I conscionable person to accidental it," Rapinoe said connected her podcast with co-host and spouse Sue Bird. "No shame successful that game." 

Rapinoe and Bird went connected to remark connected a viral enactment betwixt Gu and a newsman who asked the skier if she considered her 2 metallic Olympic medals mislaid opportunities astatine winning gold. Gu suggested the reporter's question came from a ridiculous position aft laughing astatine him. 

"That mightiness beryllium the champion reply I've ever heard to a question similar that," Bird said. "Perfect response.

Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos aft the grant ceremonial for the freestyle skiing women's freeski large aerial lawsuit astatine the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games successful Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

"I emotion what she said. … She done bopped that man, truthful hard." 

Rapinoe and Bird agreed Gu's attack is "a large mode to beryllium raised." 

Gu has go a people for planetary disapproval this Olympics for her determination to correspond China portion remaining soundless connected the country's alleged quality rights abuses.

In an interrogation with Time magazine, Gu was asked her thoughts connected China's alleged persecution of Uyghurs and different Turkic Muslim minorities successful Xinjiang. 

"I haven’t done the research. I don’t deliberation it’s my business. I’m not going to marque large claims connected my societal media," Gu answered. 

"I’m conscionable much of a skeptic erstwhile it comes to information successful general. … So, it’s not similar I tin work an nonfiction and beryllium like, ‘Oh, well, this indispensable beryllium the truth.’ I request to person a ton of evidence. I request to possibly spell to the place, possibly speech to 10 superior root radical who are successful a determination and person experienced beingness there.

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Eileen Gu of China reacts aft her archetypal leap successful the women's freestyle skiing large aerial qualification during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games astatine Livigno Snow Park Feb. 14, 2026. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)

"Then I request to spell spot images. I request to perceive to recordings. I request to deliberation astir however past affects it. Then I request to work books connected however authorities affects it. This is simply a lifelong search. It’s irresponsible to inquire maine to beryllium the mouthpiece for immoderate agenda."

Rapinoe and Bird are self-proclaimed champions for equality and societal justice. They did not notation Gu's soundlessness connected China's quality rights abuses during Thursday's podcast episode. 

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