Ginger Post

I have always identified myself as “Canadian” despite my Chinese heritage. Yet the Olympics in Beijing this summer brought out some deep buried Chinese pride that I never knew existed. After all the media hype surrounding the Olympics, I was expecting nothing less than unforgettable entertainment and fierce competition. What I wasn’t prepared for was the media backlash that would follow, or that I would take on the defense throughout it all.

CNN’s report on China “faking” the Olympics was blown way out of proportion. China may have digitally enhanced the opening ceremony display of fireworks for showmanship, but that’s all in the name of entertainment, and something that Hollywood is more than familiar with. And so what if the little girl who performed the opening song did not actually sing the song herself? China is not the only country who faked a musical performance. The Sydney Orchestra’s performance during the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics was completely pre-recorded – and what’s worse, some of the music was performed by Sydney’s rival symphony in Melbourne. At least China gave credit to both the children’s performances, noting both the names of the singer and actor on the program.

All petty criticisms aside, what disappointed me the most is the fact that activists were not able to rise above their own prejudices for the sake of the games, and used it as an opportunity to bring awareness to their own political agendas.

The Olympic Games are about world unity in celebrating sports, not a political dumping ground and free-for-all. China has crossed many frontiers in opening its doors to the scrutiny of the world. They’ve made tremendous progress in relatively little time, and should be applauded for their achievements.