The Zhu Yi Olympic Figure Skater Fiasco Explained

The Winter Olympics have only just begun, but they are already marred with controversy. The 2022 Beijing Olympics have been the subject of extended debate for more than a year. First, the US and its allies like Australia and the United Kingdom opted to partially protest the games by removing their diplomatic committees, but allowing their athletes to compete. The protesting nations claimed they could not support China's continued human rights violations.

Then there was the debate about whether or not the Olympics would even happen. China has one of the strictest COVID policies in the world. The Zero COVID Policy means that athletes, press, and coaches must test numerous times throughout their tenure in the Olympic Village. If an athlete tests positive, they have to quarantine and thus miss the games for which they have spent years training.

Seemingly against all odds, though, the games got off the ground last week. Despite a strong start, there's growing drama around some athletes, particularly Zhu Yi, a US-born figure skater who gave up her citizenship to skate for China. Unlike Eileen Gu, who also gave up her citizenship to ski for China, Zhu has not been welcomed by her fellow citizens, and it appears to be taking a toll on her performance.

The 2022 Winter Olympics are off to a rough start for Zhu Yi. Trouble started when Zhu fell at both the beginning and end of her set on February 6. "I'm upset and a little embarrassed," Zhu told reporters, according to CNN. "I guess I felt a lot of pressure because I know everybody in China was pretty surprised with the selection for ladies' singles and I just really wanted to show them what I was able to do, but unfortunately I didn't." Ultimately she came in last place and faced widespread condemnation from Chinese citizens. Wiebo, the Chinese version of Twitter, was reportedly overrun with negative commentary about the performance. Many questioned why Zhu was selected to compete for China and criticized the teen's lack of knowledge about Chinese language and culture.

Zhu also struggled during the women's free skate competition on February 7. She fell shortly after beginning the event and burst into tears on the ice. This was the final round of the team competition, which left China without a medal. Many subsequently blamed Zhu for the loss.

Zhu still has the chance to compete (and win!) in the upcoming singles competition. Right now, that's all she's focused on. "I'm just going to move on and focus on my individual events," she explained after the free skate competition, according to CNN. "Honestly, I've trained really hard and I think the main thing is coping mentally. I'm trying not to get distracted by outside influence."

Not only does Zhu Yi have to compete against every other country in the Olympics, but thanks to the cut-throat nature of the Chinese media, she's also competing against her own teammates for popularity in her adoptive country. At the top of the totem pole is Olympic skier Eileen Gu. Gu is a year younger than Zhu and was also raised in the US, but is competing in China.

Unlike Zhu, Gu has been welcomed with open arms and has even become an Olympic icon in China. Case in point: when Gu won her first gold in Free Ski, Weibo temporarily crashed thanks to the hoards of fans rushing to show their support. When critics flooded Weibo to criticize Zhu's performance in the free skate, the hashtag #ZhuYiFellOver received so many views — more than 230 million, per Newsweek — the powers that be had to have it deactivated.

So, why the love for Gu and the hate for Zhu? The resentment can likely be traced to how Zhu landed on the Chinese team and her lack of fluency in Chinese, per NBC Sports. When trying out for the Chinese figure skating team, Zhu reportedly beat out two other hopefuls who had been born and raised in China. One of them, Chen Hongyi, was thought to be more qualified than Zhu. The decision caused such blowback that the selection committee was forced to publicly defend their choice.

As if the drama surrounding Zhu Yi wasn't enough bad press, top figure skater Vincent Zhou shocked fans when he abruptly pulled out of the 2022 competition. Zhou, who skates for the US, took to Instagram to break the news. "I have tested positive for COVID-19 and unfortunately, I will have to withdraw from the individual event starting tomorrow," he said in the video. "It seems pretty unreal that of all the people it would happen to myself." Zhu went on to describe how he had spent months battling loneliness from voluntarily isolating himself from his loved ones to avoid just such a situation.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics aren't Zhou's first, but it is the first time he's won a medal. The men's team was awarded a Silver medal shortly before the news of Zhou's diagnosis broke. While Zhou now has an Olympic medal, cutting the games short before the single's competition is a tough pill to swallow. "I've already lost count of the number of times I've cried today," he continued. "But I'm happy to say that at least one of those times was happy tears, and that was when I found out that I became an Olympic silver medalist."

Zhou may be out for 2022, but he's holding out hope he'll have the chance for a redemption arc in the 2026 Winter Olympics. "This is not the end," he concluded. "This is a setup for a bigger comeback."