The Global Sporting Power Elite: Eileen Gu

Wong, Donna and Meng-Lewis, Yue (2023). The Global Sporting Power Elite: Eileen Gu. In: Chadwick, Simon; Widdop, Paul and Goldman, Michael M. eds. The Geopolitical Economy of Sport: Power, Politics, Money and the State. Oxon, UK and New York, USA: Routledge, pp. 85–92.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003348238-12

Abstract

This chapter examines the geopolitical environment elite athletes, such as 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games double-gold-medallist Eileen Gu, are experiencing. Gu is exemplary of a modern, successful young athlete caught in the conflict between two superpowers as she navigates her dual identity in the eyes of the public. The chapter analyses the complexities of the geopolitical maelstrom in sport, documents Gu’s dual Chinese and American cultural identities, and extrapolates the hallmarks of a contemporary global citizen of sport through Gu. The chapter concludes by debating the risks and benefits to each country of the international movement of elite athletes, including economic development, cultural and political contexts, and international competitiveness.

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