One thing that most people expected the Beijing Games to be was controversial and this week has accomplished just that. I must admit I found it rather interesting to see and read the reactions to the news that Lin Miaoke, the little girl in the red dress who sang “Hymn To The Motherland” to start the Opening Ceremonies, was only lip-syncing during the presentation. The singer who we heard that night has been revealed to be Yang Peiyi, who won the competition to sing this song during the Opening Ceremonies, but who at the last minute was replaced by Miaoke because of her physical appearance.

As expected, many commentators who spoke out against this deception by the Chinese organizers used this to prove their point that the Chinese government couldn’t be trusted and as such, the Beijing Games were a sham. Really. Someone had better tell Michael Phelps to put a hold on the celebration then. Granted, this is a disappointing revelation, but a bit of context is needed here. Click here to continue reading »”The Controversial Faces of The Beijing Games”

Yesterday, the world was treated to a visual spectacle as the Beijing Olympics finally arrived. Watching coverage of the Opening Ceremonies, I noticed that every time a new country arrived in the stadium for the Parade of Athletes, the commentators pointed out the star athletes in that team or at least what sports they would be participating in. Sometimes, they even shared stories about what one athlete in that country’s team had endured or what they went through to get to this point – stories that helped heighten the sense of wonder and appreciation for all the years of hard work these athletes did to reach this pinnacle of sports. Noticeably absent in these commentators’ remarks were any comments about China’s human rights record or political stances on world issues. And that is exactly as it should be – after all, how many of us would appreciate watching the Stanley Cup, the World Series, Wimbledon, the World Cup or any other major sporting event and hear comments being made about the host nation’s foreign or domestic policy? Is that really why we’re watching these events? No, it’s not. It’s not about any of that; instead, these are sporting events where the focus must be on the competing athletes and their respective performances. Click here to continue reading »”Beijing Opening Ceremonies – Let the Protests, er, Games Begin”