Eileen Gu: Please be a ‘force for good’ to win mercy for my dad, Jimmy Lai

An open letter from Claire Lai, the daughter of Chinese political Jimmy Lai, to Eileen Gu, the American-born star of China’s Winter Olympics team.

Dear Ms. Gu,

Congratulations on your historic, medal-winning performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

I am writing to you because of your outspoken appreciation for the values that have shaped you. You have frequently expressed how your American upbringing and education instilled in you a sense of purpose and a commitment to using your platform for good.

During these Games, you noted that you represent the best of the values you learned in the United States.

You have expressed your pride in those values, values I learned from my parents and also hold dear.

It is in the spirit of those shared values — freedom of expression, compassion, and the sanctity of the individual —  that I ask for your help.

My father, Jimmy Lai, has spent his entire life championing those same ideals.

He did not just admire American values from afar; he understood them as the essential bedrock of a flourishing society.

To him, the American spirit of liberty and the courage to speak truth to power were not just political concepts, but moral imperatives.

He risked everything — his business, his freedom, and now his life — because he believed that the freedoms enjoyed in the West should be a universal right.

His bravery has made him a role model for supporters of freedom and democracy around the world.

On Feb. 9, at the age of 78, my father was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for championing these freedoms through the newspaper he founded and published.

Like you, he has deep ties to both the East and the West.

After more than five years in solitary confinement, his health is failing rapidly. He is a diabetic with a heart condition, and his remaining time is short.

I believe that you — a celebrated member of the Chinese Olympic team and someone deeply respected within Chinese society — could be a catalyst for a humanitarian gesture by the Chinese government.

I appeal to your stated desire to be a “force for good.”

Please consider raising my father’s case with Chinese officials, urging them to allow an elderly man who simply shared your appreciation for freedom to live out his final days in peace.

Thank you for considering this plea.

Sincerely,

Claire Lai