Another disturbing report regarding the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Just when I thought that all was said about the Opening Ceremony.  As we all know, the fireworks were faked (even NBC knowingly misrepresented them as live).  Then we found out that they pulled a Manilli Vanilli - having a lip-synching young “beauty” in front of the audience, while the “ugly” girl sang behind stage.

Now we are finding out the conditions that the performers endured, while striving for “perfection”.

“Martial arts student Cheng Jianghua only saw the army barracks he stayed in and the stadium where he performed at the spectacular Olympics opening ceremony. But his sacrifices were minor — other performers were injured, fainted from heatstroke or forced to wear adult diapers so the show could go on.”

Adult diapers - I thought that only kidnapping psycho astronuts wore those, without a medical condition necessitating their use.

“Cheng and 2,200 other carefully chosen pugilist prodigies spent an average of 16 hours a day, every day, rehearsing a synchronized tai-chi routine involving high kicks, sweeping lunges and swift punches. They lived for three months in trying conditions at a restricted army camp on the outskirts of Beijing.”

16 hour days, everyday for three months?  I’m guessing that they aren’t unionized…

“In the most extreme case, Beijing organizers revealed last week that Liu Yan, a 26-year-old dancer, was seriously injured during a July rehearsal. Shanghai media reported that she fell from a 10-foot stage and may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down.”

The director did have the kindness to “regret” her injury.

“While in Beijing, the constant exposure to the dizzyingly hot summer resulted in heatstroke for some students, particularly during one rain-drenched rehearsal that stretched on for two days and two nights.

“The students were kept on their feet for most of the 51-hour rehearsal with little food and rest and no shelter from the night’s downpour, as the show’s directors attempted to coordinate the 2,008-member performance with multimedia effects, students and their head coach told the AP.

“We had only two meals for the entire time. There was almost no time to sleep, even less time for toilet breaks,” Cheng said. “But we didn’t feel so angry because the director was also there with us the whole time.”

So, I hope that everyone enjoyed the Ceremony.  China seems to think it well worth it.

In the words of the director:  ”

He told the popular Guangzhou weekly newspaper Southern Weekend that only communist North Korea could have done a better job getting thousands of performers to move in perfect unison.

“North Korea is No. 1 in the world when it comes to uniformity. They are uniform beyond belief! These kind of traditional synchronized movements result in a sense of beauty. We Chinese are able to achieve this as well. Through hard training and strict discipline,” he said. Pyongyang’s annual mass games feature 100,000 people moving in lockstep.”

Anyone else bothered by that statement?

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