David Lock

I saw that in the Olympic opening ceremony they had some little Chinese mite singing the National Anthem (or something). Except she was actually miming to some other little girl's voice.

They thought that the real singer wasn't suitable because of her looks so chose someone else.

I thought that was a really sh1tty thing to do. Just imagine how the little girl feels - hardly in the Olympic spirit is it?

But of course the Olympic ideal has been forgotten. It's just become a "see how fabulous China is showcase". dl

mart360

Not the only thing they've supposedly done to ensure a flawless "games"

the worrying thing is whats going on behind the scenes.

To be honest its a mockery, its all about money these days


mart

Turbohot

Terrible thing to do, David. <nods> Wherever these Olympic events take place, the country (no matter how third or fourth world it is) only showcases glamourised goodness. That's not a bad thing to do for fun festivities. But goodness doesn't have to be falseness, I agree.

Imagine Britain sending Kate Moss to mime over Nicole Cooke's cycle ride? She would have been the last woman standing on the track with punctured tyres! Britain would have fallen on it's @rse for that!

dpb

Its something that would have happened in the west 50 year ago and this lot will catch up sooner or later

PeteBrant

The west are clutching at straws

Replaced little girl, "rent-a-crowds" and so on. Anything to try and divert from that fact that China is putting on an immensly impressive games.

We are going to look ****e in 2012

Not quite the same thing as replacing a 9 year old girl singing a song with another 9 year old girl to mime a song.

David Lock

And I keep thinking how London is going to cope in '12. I just have this vision of all the recent construction nightmares - Dome, Wembley, T5 baggage system - all rolled into one. Then add a few crested newts, a stroppy workforce and some terrorists turning up....... My own view is that is should have been a European Games with the events spread around.

Let's hope Dave and Boris will be able to sort it with that dreadful Lord "Goody Goody" Coe mincing around in the background

David_Dickson

Thing is....in any europen country or in America, which girl would they choose to be the face of the event, the ugly one or the "picture perfect" one? Im not surprised that the chinese did this.

Th olympics is a complete sham that has nothing to do with sporting excellence and everything to do with moneymaking and politics.


Have it in Greece every 4 years - have all participating countries part-fund the costs, and get rid of the fat-cat committies. Also, get it back to being about the atheletes. Strip it back to track and field events and a few core sports. BMX riding and volleyball? get a grip.

Turbohot

Pete, hypothetical example just highlights the falseness that is similar, not the same.

David Lock

There must be several million twee little girls in China with nice voices so the simplest thing would have been to select one that was pretty and could sing. I am sure Simon Cowell could have been commissioned for a few million spondulees (spelling?)

Agree. Shame none the less.

Agree. They might be pushed for the Winter Olympics though

dl

mart360

[quote=PeteBrant;8066338]The west are clutching at straws

Replaced little girl, "rent-a-crowds" and so on. Anything to try and divert from that fact that China is putting on an immensly impressive games.

We are going to look ****e in 2012


On that i have to agree, or we are going to be plunged so far into the red, it

will take us hundreds of years to pay it back (tax payers that is).

mart360

Yup I agree, take it back to what it was intended to be.


Mart

PeteBrant

Modern olympics was never soley about Athletics. We have the World Athetics championships for that. Just because a sport isn't popular in the UK does not means it shouldn't be in. Volleyball is huge in parts of Europe, and the "X" (BMX etc) games are absolutely enourmous.

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

Absolutely 100% on the nail. They shouldn't even be hosting the games. End of story.

lozgti

Everyone does as they are told though

Remember watching a huge crowd watching some sporting event (think this was Korea...probably some football).

After the match was finished the crowd picked up every single bit of litter and the place was left spotless.

Wonder if they have Chinese 'Chavs' or are they nipped in the bud pretty early?

mart360

Check out the link below

History | Olympics | Sky Sports

potted history of the games, I didnt realise its only been going for a hundred

years (or so)

mart

PeteBrant

Hugh Sykes reports for Radio 4 on PM every day from China, and he has been for a few weeks. He says that there have been massive changes as a result of the Olympics in terms of freedoms and the attitude of people.

mart360

Saw some of the rowing earlier in the week, the commentator was showing an

earlier clip with some mech unit on fire, with the comment that it would

probably be repaired by the next day. it was on an open bit of ground,

some way from the stands

Within 2 hours it was replaced / repaired.

Could you imagine this at our games

• Whole area evacuation whilst the emergency services dealt with the fire
• Councilling for all those affected by the blaze, or sight of the blaze, involved in the blaze
• HSE review & risk assessment of the work involved to replace repair unit.
• Tenders sent out to 3 contractors for repair / replacement.
• Commitee set up to review / coordinate the work.
• All 3 services involved whilst said repair to be carried out.
• Unit replaced 3000% over budget and 6 months after the games had finished
• Enquiry set up as to why this occurred.
• Lessons learnt, and new policies put in place to ensure it never happens again

lol


Mart

stilover

Our games in 2012 will be a joke. Stadiums not finished, budget way in eccess of the £12Billion they're talking about now.

Terrorist threats/strikes

Nobody wanted these games anyway, but New labour went for it. Good for Britain apparently.

PeteBrant

I wanted them!!

There won't be many occaions in your life that you get to see the olympics in your own country, it will probably be the only occasion in our lifetimes.

Same with the World Cup

Simon C

I will be nice to see home grown talent competing on home soil for once.

I for 1 plan on going to certain events.

What I do think is a sham is whats being done about the event grounds like shooting. Bisley is perfectly suitable for the event, yet a range in london is being used / built.

messiah

Hasn't China already been rumbled over its so-called fireworks display? Thought it was on the BBC the other day that some it was computer generated.

Ray_li

China has spent around $43 billion on the Olympics and we're spending around £2.4bn to £9.35bn for 2012. its gonna be a good show come 2012

lozgti

Sounds like our fireworks are coming from the local newsagents

PeteBrant

I don't know about that - Just looking that the olympic village, Birdnest stadium, the water cube and other facilties, you can see where the money has gone.

The likelyhood is that will not see another olympic effort like this for decades.

Spoon

Just watching the lesbian weightlifting. That is taking things a bit far!

Leslie

I think it is a shame that the Olympics has gone the way it has. There is no more of the original "amateur" spirit, it all seems to be a "look at me" exercise done for political reasons.

The original Olympic ideal was good and was a way of bringing different countries together in the right sort of atmosphere where it was the "taking part" which mattered rather than win at all costs.

I think the only way to re-kindle that is to hold it in Greece each year where it all started after all, each participating country to contribute to the costs, and those taking part to be strictly amateur athletes.

The opening ceremonies these days are all highly impressive of course, but it is an awful waste of money which could be put to far better use.

Les

Leslie

Do you really believe that will be the final bill?

Les

Geezer

Whether you agree with how China conducts itself, and whether you think it was right or wrong to displace the people for the games etc. you cannot deny that they have put on a very impressive games.

I dread to think what an embarrassment the London games will be in 2012.

Also, even if the China games cost twice as much as the pupported $43billion, that's only $71.6 per person spent on the games, hardly wasting money that could be better spent. However, our effort works out at (current'budget') of $379 per person. OK, hardly breaking the bank, but still, ours will be ****e and cost more per capita!

Geezer