Winter Olympics star Eileen Gu has criticised the organisers of the Games after her request for the same practice time as her competitors was denied. Gu, who is competing for China at the event in Italy, was seeking time to prepare for the halfpipe, her third and final event.
The 22-year-old has signed up to compete in all three disciplines in freeskiing, and is the only female to do so at this year’s Games. Gu is also competing in the big air and has already won a silver medal in the slopestyle, while also having her sights on getting on the podium in the halfpipe.
The big air final is scheduled to take place on Monday, which is the same time as the practice slot available for the halfpipe, which Gu would want to take part in.
As a result of the schedule conflict, Gu made a request to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) for help but got nowhere.
Now, Gu has issued a statement of her own expressing her disappointment at the lack of assistance from the FIS.
“First Big Air contest in four years and we’re into finals,” wrote Gu to her 2.2 million followers on Instagram.
“Unfortunately, [FIS] has scheduled big air finals and pipe training with 100% overlap, which means I’ll now be missing an entire day of pipe training. I have asked for fair options like joining one training with the snowboarders, or getting even one hour alone to train, but to no avail.
“No other woman in the halfpipe field is competing in another event, and for good reason – Halfpipe is different from slope and big air, and demands its own training time accordingly.
“The Olympics is the stage upon which miracles materialise and the impossible ceases to be so right before our very eyes. It inspires both athletes and sports lovers to dream big and break limits. This decision is disappointing to me because it seems to contradict the spirit of the games.
“Daring to be the only woman to compete in three events should not be penalised – making finals in one event should not disadvantage me in another. What kind of message does this send to future athletes who love skiing for its essence and want to compete in every event? This was a totally avoidable issue and I am saddened by the hardline stance FIS has chosen to take.
“With that said, I am proud of myself for being willing to give big air my best shot, and am looking forward to competing tomorrow night under the lights with this incredible field of women.”
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