US-born Winter Olympics star Eileen Gu has reportedly been paid a staggering $6.6 million by China.
The 22-year-old skiing sensation has apparently been paid a huge sum after switching her allegiance away from Team USA.
Gu was “paid $6.6 million” by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025, as per the Wall Street Journal.
A public budget appeared to accidentally expose Gu’s name as a recipient from the Sports Bureau.
She was named alongside American-born figure skater star Zhu Yi before their names were promptly scrubbed from the record.
Freestyle skier Gu has divided opinions after switching to compete for China at the Winter Olympics.
The rising star made this controversial decision as a 15-year-old before ever competing in the Olympics.
This is despite her being born in San Francisco, California, to a Chinese mother.
However, Gu has since revoked her United States‘ citizenship.
Gu won two gold medals for China as a teenager at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The 2022 Games saw Gu walk away with golds in the big air and halfpipe events.
She also picked up silver in the slopestyle competition.
The fiscal report has showed that Gu has been given $14 million over the past three years by the Sports Bureau.
This equates to nearly 100 million yuan for qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
Gu is the fourth-best paid female athlete in the world thanks to her lucrative sponsorships.
This includes deals with Victoria’s Secret and Vogue.
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/sport/15942827/eileen-gu-paid-china-after-switching-allegiance/
