American-Born Athletes Competing For China Experience Extra Scrutiny - podcast episode cover

American-Born Athletes Competing For China Experience Extra Scrutiny

Feb 17, 202211 min
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Episode description

Just under three dozen of China's athletes competing at the Olympics this year were born in other countries. Most famously, ski prodigy Eileen Gu, who has dozens of brand sponsorships and is praised on Chinese social media. That's in contrast to skater Zhu Yi, who has been called a "disgrace" after she fell during her short program. And the rhetoric appears on both sides. Some U.S. commentators have criticized Gu for her decision to compete for China.

Jules Boykoff is a political science professor at Pacific University and studies the politics of sports. He explains how politics play out in the Olympics. Amy Qin is a China correspondent for the New York Times. Her article on the subject is "The Olympians Caught Up in the U.S.-China Rivalry."

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