There is no longer room for doubt: Salt Lake City is in the countryside. Thoroughly. American style. Utah's bid for the Winter Games has not yet officially made its choice between two editions of the Olympic and Paralympic event. She is still hesitating between 2030 and 2034. But the project leaders are occupying the media field.
At the very beginning of the week, they announced that they had brought Lindsey Vonn on board the adventure. The Olympic downhill champion at the 2010 Vancouver Games will accompany the delegation from Salt Lake City next week (June 15 and 16) to Lausanne, on a visit to the IOC. A nice shot.
On Wednesday June 8, the Americans fired another round. A bomb. They revealed that they had convinced Chinese Eileen Gu, double gold medalist in freestyle skiing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, to join them in turn. Very strong. But also very slippery.
The announcement came from the skier herself. Eileen Gu told Time having accepted a role as ambassador for the American candidacy. Tom Kelly, the spokesperson for Salt Lake City 2030, then confirmed the information, but slightly modified the young woman's words. According to her version, the Chinese born in California will slip into the costume of representing the athletes. “ She works with us, he explained to Associated Press. But we haven't yet chosen its exact title"
In truth, it doesn't matter. By recruiting Eileen Gu, Salt Lake City has identified one of the heroines of the last Winter Games, whose image and commercial impact go far beyond the framework of her discipline. The Americans are also sending a message: their candidacy is fully launched. For 2030 or 2034, the question will be decided later.
With Lindsey Vonn and Eileen Gu, Salt Lake City stands out. The American candidacy throws out the new rules of conduct dictated to applicants by the IOC: sobriety, dialogue, discretion. They bring out from the closet the weapons of past campaigns, where the candidacy teams competed for big names and publicity effects.
For the magazine Time, the first to report the information, the presence of the Chinese skier alongside the American team can be interpreted as “ a great example of globalization. » A good example, too, of how sport can “ connect people", suggested Eileen Gu on Tuesday (June 7) in New York. A publicity stunt, too.
Never late for a beautiful formula, the young woman gave it her all. “ Salt Lake wants to become an international destination for athletes from around the world to come and train there, she explained. IThey want to include 15 new countries in the Winter Olympics. I think this is a truly magnificent project, one that I am honored to be a part of. »
Cool. But also very risky, for Eileen Gu as for the American candidacy.
Born in the United States to a Chinese mother, the young 18-year-old skier has been sailing between the two countries for several years. But the question of his citizenship has not really been resolved. Since China does not officially allow dual nationality, Eileen Gu has always offered very vague answers to questions about her passport. Chinese? American? Mystery.
The only certainty: she grew up in the United States, but has represented China sportingly since 2019. She spends several months a year in China, where she speaks the language perfectly, but should join the very selective Californian Stanford University at the start of the next school year.
Unsurprisingly, the announcement of his support for Salt Lake City 2030 divided Chinese Internet users. “ She eats from all the racks“, commented one of them on the social network Weibo. “ On his return to China, he must be arrested and executed for treason!“, another raged. “ Earn money in China and enjoy the good life in the United States. Well done Eileen ! “, posted a third. “ She loves both countries. Who are you to lecture him on morals and ask him to choose?" wrote another Chinese netizen in response to the hostile comments.
Nothing new on the Web. At the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, his two victories had already caused the same controversy. The young woman learned to live with it. She even seems to feed on it to occupy media space.
For the American candidacy, the Eileen Gu card is not without danger either. No one has forgotten that the United States initiated the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Games, subsequently joined by a handful of other countries, including Great Britain and Australia. And China is today among Russia's last allies, banned from the international sports movement since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
But by releasing Lindsey Vonn and Eileen Gu in quick succession, the Americans from Salt Lake City are relaunching themselves in the race for the 2030 Winter Games. Above all, they are making their rivals, Sapporo, Vancouver and Pyrenees-Barcelona, understand that They don't just go there to prepare for what's next.
