CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - Olympic officials defend decision to use girl who was a prettier front for real singer in Olympic opening ceremony

Record ID: 329637

  • Title: CHINA: OLYMPICS BEIJING 2008 - Olympic officials defend decision to use girl who was a prettier front for real singer in Olympic opening ceremony
  • Date: 14th August 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) BEIJING ORGANISING COMMITTEE OF OLYMPIC GAMES (BOCOG) SPOKESPERSON SUN WEIDE SAYING: "The song at the opening ceremony you mentioned was pre-recorded and the artistic directors made that decision after consultations with the broadcasters and also, as I understand it, it is also a recommendation by broadcasters. Previously, I think, there have been a number of candidates to sing that song and at the end of the day and the artistic directors they just picked the best voice and the best performance, thank you." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 29th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA53MPEX8PFYJYH4CB7XOV2PBSV
  • Story Text: Olympic officials defend decision to use girl who was a prettier front for real singer in Olympic opening ceremony.
    A pretty girl who shot to fame at China's Olympic opening ceremony was a photogenic front for the real singer, who was rejected appearance-wise in the "national interest", Chinese media reported on Tuesday (August 12).
    On Wednesday (August 13), Olympic officials explained the decision.
    "The song at the opening ceremony you mentioned was pre-recorded and the artistic directors made that decision after consultations with the broadcasters and also, as I understand it, it is also a recommendation by broadcasters," said the spokesperson for Beijing Organising Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), Sun Weide.
    "Previously, I think, there have been a number of candidates to sing that song and at the end of the day and the artistic directors they just picked the best voice and the best performance," he added.
    Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke has been celebrated across China as the angelic voice with the cute face who sang "Ode to the Motherland" at Friday's (August 8) opening extravaganza.
    But a director of the opening ceremony, Chen Qigang, told state television Lin's voice was overdubbed by the singing of the real child singer Yang Peiyi, said the government-run China News Service.
    Olympic officials defended the decision.
    "You can have different opinion, but sport is exactly the same.
    When you qualify with a kid, I'm not talking about the Olympic Games, when they go to qualification system. If your son's playing on the football system, maybe the coach decided that Sunday he is not playing, he's going to stay on the bench. That's what it is in sports, in life. And yes, when it's personal, we always take it as a personal issue. But when you take it in the general context it is the same for individual, because like we said many girls have been training to get these positions. So anyway, when the choice was made for one to sing and the other one to perform, we still have five or six who were not there," said Olympic Games Executive Director, Gilbert Felli.
    China has gone to extraordinary lengths and expense to ensure a picture perfect Games.
    An official disclosed on Wednesday that some of the scenes of fireworks broadcast at the opening were pre-recorded.
    "I think that is clear for me that the right information has to be given to the people," said Felli.
    Among sections pre-recorded were parts of a stunning series of firework "footprints" across Beijing that led to the Bird's Nest stadium where the four-hour spectacular was staged, officials said.
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