US Figure Skater Alysa Liu’s Father Rules Out Representing China, Cites Human Rights Concerns
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The father of U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu has said he would not allow his daughter to compete for China, citing its human rights record and ongoing abuses and recalling his own escape decades ago.
Arthur Liu, who fled China in the 1990s due to his involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, said his 20-year-old daughter was “fascinated” by his life story—from his upbringing and decision to protest against the Chinese communist regime, to becoming a wanted man, fleeing the country, and rebuilding his life in the United States as a political refugee.
“Obviously, it will be impossible for me to allow my daughter to compete on behalf of the Chinese government when the Chinese government is still abusing the basic human rights of the Chinese people,” Arthur Liu told “China in Focus,” a program of NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, from Milan, Italy, on Feb. 18.
“So I mean, if China becomes a democracy and has respect for human rights and has a legitimate, fair legal system. I have no problems. I love China. I want to make it clear, I love China. I love the Chinese people.”
Arthur Liu said he has carried his activism from China to the United States, organizing protests in front of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
“I continued to raise concerns about the human rights violations in China, the government’s persecution of the Uyghurs, and also the political dissidents,” Arthur Liu said. “I want people to become aware of what’s going on in China.”
Beijing, meanwhile, has sent spies to watch him, according to Arthur Liu.
He recalled befriending an individual who, many years later, confessed to being a Chinese spy.
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Before the 2022 Winter Games, he said, he received a call from someone claiming to be with the U.S. Olympic Committee, requesting copies of his and his daughter’s passports. He refused, he said, “suspicious” of the request.
Later, Arthur Liu said the FBI contacted him, warning that Beijing was spying on him and advising him to remain vigilant and exercise caution.
“I was concerned about Alysa going to China to compete in the Olympic Games. So I was quite worried,” he said.
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Alysa Liu finished sixth in women’s single skating and later won a bronze medal at that year’s World Figure Skating Championships.
Arthur Liu said that his daughter came out of her retirement “on her own terms.”
“She decided which coaches to go to, what music to skate to, and when to practice, when to train, when not to train, what to eat, what to drink, [and] when to drive herself to the ice rink,” he said.
“So this time around, she’s so happy skating, and I’m so thrilled for her as a parent. I want her to be happy.”
At the 2026 Winter Games, Alysa Liu won a gold medal in the figure skating team event.
Her father believes she will continue her skating career after the Milan Cortina Winter Games.
