Alysa Liu questioned ‘is world real’ after being targeted by Chinese spies before Winter Olympics
The figure skating schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics is underway, and Alysa Liu is hoping to contend for gold which would cap off a remarkable turnaround both professionally and personally
Alysa Liu is looking to win gold in the 2026 Winter Olympics(Image: Getty Images)
Alsya Liu questioned whether the world was “real” upon learning that the Chinese government had targeted her and her father.
Liu entered her second Olympic Games as one of the premier contenders to take home gold for Team USA in Milan-Cortina and complete an impressive career comeback. She previously retired from the sport at age 16 but has returned to the top.
However, Liu has faced an arduous journey away from the ice, too, as both the 20-year-old and her father were targeted by the Chinese government for being dissidents in the United States. It comes as Liu’s teammate, Isabeau Levito, begged not to be ‘evicted’ from the Olympic Village.
Liu achieved immense success as a teenager, including becoming the youngest U.S. champion in history at age 13 and placing sixth in the 2022 Beijing Olympics at 16. However, after the Games concluded, the U.S. Justice Department charged five men with acting on behalf of the Chinese government as they targeted Chinese dissidents in the United States.
The dissidents included Liu’s father, Arthur, who organized pro-democracy protests in China before fleeing the country in 1989. In July of that year, Arthur learned he was on a “most wanted” list in Guangzhou while attending Zhongshan University.
Arthur had organized demonstrations and hunger strikes to promote democracy, freedom, and the rule of law alongside the students’ protests in Beijing. Tensions mounted and boiled over at Tiananmen Square, where the military killed hundreds of students and residents in Beijing.
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While her father was a target, Liu was targeted as well, according to Arthur. Back in October, Liu addressed the matter herself and said: “In a weird way, I was like, ‘Am I in some prank show? Is this world real?”
Alysa Liu was targeted by the Chinese government for being associated with her father(Image: Getty Images)
Three months before the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Arthur was contacted by a man who claimed to be a U.S. Olympic official and asked for faxed copies of their passports. Confused and concerned, Arthur refused.
Five men were later arrested as a result of the investigation, with one hired to perform surveillance on the Liu family. In the criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice, Arthur is reportedly listed as “Dissident 3” while Liu is listed as “family member.”
Shortly after the Winter Olympics ended, Liu announced her retirement from figure skating. But two years later, she officially returned to competition in October 2024.
In March 2025, Liu won gold at the World Figure Skating Championships, becoming the first American woman to win the world title in nearly two decades. She enters these Games as one of Italy’s favorites for glory.
Liu is in third place as she enters the long program on Thursday.