China Olympics women ice hockey team goalkeeper, Zhou Jiaying, has been denied the authority to address the press in English.
The Canadian-born goalie for the Chinese Olympic women’s ice hockey team, revealed in a past press briefing that she was prohibited from speaking English during a post-match presser.
The 26-year-old athlete was asked by a reporter during a past interview if she could take a few questions in English but she stated that she had to consult first.
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During that interview, she consulted an aid and responded in Mandarin that she was not allowed to do so in English.
“She is not allowed to speak English. I’ll try to translate for her,” the aid then told the press.
When the journalist continued to ask her questions, she answered them in Mandarin with the aid translating to English.
Zhou, who was known as Kimberly Newell, adopted a Chinese name Zhou Jiaying. She is among a list of other foreign born athletes recruited by the Chinese National Team at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
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Zhou still uses her birth name on her social media accounts. However, the name ‘Kimberly Newell’ is listed as her previous name on Zhou’s official Olympic biography.
She shows loyalty to her team by wearing gear designed with Chinese-style dragons during the Olympic matches, according to ESPN.
Zhou, who was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, previously played for Princeton NCAA hockey.
In 2018, she shifted to China-based team KRS Vanke Rays, which saw action in the Canadian Women's Hockey League and later the Zhenskaya Hockey League, in Moscow.
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