Olympic organisers hit a sour note

Dubai: Chinese Olympic officials have brought a whole new meaning to the term fake.

The cherubic little Chinese girl who wowed the world with her singing voice at the opening ceremony last Friday was miming.

Why? Because the girl whose voice was actually heard by millions around the world wasn't considered to be pretty enough. Little seven-year-old Yang Peiyi has a chubby face and uneven teeth.

Instead, she was replaced by pigtailed Lin Miaoke, who was picked to lip sync because of her cute appearance. "The reason why little Yang was not chosen to appear was because we wanted to project the right image, we were thinking about what was best for the nation," explained Chen Qigang, the general music designer of the ceremony.

"The reason was for the national interest," he said. "The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression. Lin Miaoke is excellent in these aspects. But in terms of voice, Yang Peiyi is perfect."

The final decision to lip sync was made after a senior member of the Communist Party's politburo visited a rehearsal. Yesterday, Chinese officials also admitted that another part of the opening ceremony had been faked. Supposedly live pictures of fireworks depicting footprints moving from Tienanmen Square to the Olympic Stadium were actually partially computer generated.