Lin Miaoke,right, was chosen to mime Ode to the Motherland
because she was prettier than Yang Peiyi.

THE International Olympic Committee has defended the Chinese over the great singing switch at the Opening Ceremony when nine-year-old Lin Miaoke, with her swinging pigtails and a red dress, lip-synched Ode to the Motherland. While Lin mimed the song, another less attractive girl, Yang Peiyi, 7, actually did the singing. It was a case of one face, different voice - something the Beijing Games organisers seem completely at ease with.

Asked yesterday how he would feel as a father having to explain to his daughter that she was not pretty enough to sing in front of the world, IOC Olympic Games executive director Gilbert Felli looked uncomfortable but likened the decision to the tough choices sports coaches must make when selecting the final team for an important match.

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Nelson: It’s interesting how this one gesture reflects deeply the state of China: they rather lie to you than show you something bad. Which makes one wonder if everything else is just a facade, a show put on to impress others. No, i am not against China, and more than anything else, i believe in Chinese people and want to see them grow, but I believe in honesty and if they cannot embrace flaws that come with the truth, then all the progress they have and will make would be meaningless.