Asian American Olympians’ nationality choices cast as 'loyalty tests' by media: study

U.S. media coverage of Winter Olympians Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu treated their nationality decisions as measures of allegiance rather than parallel career choices, according to a University of Michigan study published in January. The analysis found that while Kim’s representation of the U.S. was framed as a natural extension of the American dream, Gu’s decision to compete for China during the 2022 Beijing Olympics was repeatedly situated within debates over patriotism and U.S.-China tensions.