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Winter Olympic gold-medalist freestyle skier Eileen Gu praised Hong Kong's ability to blend Eastern and Western traditions while attending the Shangri-La Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships on Friday.
Gu officiated the traditional eye-dotting ceremony on Stanley Main Beach before experiencing her first-ever dragon boat races, The Standard reported.
Speaking after the ceremony, the 22-year-old skiing sensation said the event has a powerful and infectious festive energy. She added that the unique celebration perfectly unites sports, heritage, gastronomy and music, seamlessly combining historical significance with modern lifestyle trends.
"The atmosphere is very infectious and exciting," Gu said, as quoted by RTHK. "It's my first time watching dragon boat racing and I hope to return next year."
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Eileen Gu speaks at the Shangri-La Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships on June 19, 2026. Photo by Instagram/@eileengu |
Reflecting on her visit, Gu considered sports the ultimate ground for cross-cultural communication. She described Hong Kong as a special city that bridges the cultural gap between the East and the West, an identity she feels aligns closely with her own.
Gu's observations highlighted the international appeal of the Stanley championships, which returned this year with some 40 competitive races.
The prestigious sporting event attracted over 180 teams from across the globe to compete along the scenic coastline. The tournament is free and open to the public, and was complemented by the inaugural "Dragonbeat" festival, which featured a post-race DJ party on the beach and a popular curated food market hosted at the Hong Kong Sea School football field, drawing large crowds of locals and international tourists alike, according to the South China Morning Post.
Born in San Francisco in 2003, Gu became a global sports sensation at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics where she represented her mother's home country China. Winning two gold medals and one silver at the age of 18, she was affectionately nicknamed the "Snow Princess."
Earlier this year, she further cemented her dominance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, winning one gold and two silver medals. With a total of six Olympic medals, she is now the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history.
