Canadian hockey player recruited for Chinese team prohibited from speaking English during interview

The Canadian-born goalie for the Chinese Olympic women’s hockey team was reportedly prohibited from speaking English during an interview following the team’s 2-1 shootout victory over Japan on Sunday.

Zhou Jiaying, 26, was asked by a reporter if she could take a few questions in English in a post-match press briefing in Wukesong Sport Centre’s “mixed zone,” according to Reuters. The athlete turned and told an aide she was not allowed to, which the aide relayed to the assembled journalists.

“She’s not allowed to speak English,” the aide said in English. “I’ll try to translate for her.”

Zhou is one of the large number of foreign-born players on China’s ice hockey teams, a sport the country had little exposure to prior to its selection to host the 2022 Winter Games. The Diplomat reported China scrambled to recruit foreign talent to avoid becoming the first host country not to field a men’s hockey team, resulting in only nine of 24 players being Chinese.

The incident highlights domestic tensions between the Chinese public and their foreign recruits, even though there was an emphasis on finding athletes with ethnic ties to the country. Zhou’s mother is Chinese.

The aide translated for a couple questions, including one about the name Zhou adopted after agreeing to play for China. Her original name, Kimberly Newell, remains listed on her social media accounts.  

Translating for Zhou, the aide told reporters, “’Jia’ means like ‘nice’ and ‘warm’ and ‘beautiful.’”

Zhou leaned over and whispered, “Auspicious.”

“Auspicious,” the aide repeated.