The olympics

[Buleste]

Who enkoyed the opening ceremony? Well have a look at this:-

Parts of the spectacular Beijing Olympics opening ceremony were faked, it has emerged.

The global television audience of more than three billion people watched in amazement as a series of giant footprints outlined in fireworks proceeded through the night sky from Tiananmen Square to the Bird's Nest stadium - except they were watching a computer animation.

Even the giant television screens within the stadium itself broadcast the fake images.

Stunned viewers thought they were watching the string of fireworks filmed from above by a helicopter.

But in reality they were watching a 3D graphics sequence that took almost a year to produce.

It even included a 'camera shake' to mimic the effect of filming from a helicopter.

The dupe was revealed by China's Beijing Times. Speaking to the paper, the man responsible for the animation said he was pleased with the result.

"Seeing how it worked out, it was still a bit too bright compared to the actual fireworks," Gao Xiaolong told the newspaper.

"But most of the audience thought it was filmed live - so that was mission accomplished."

The designers even added some haziness to simulate the polluted Beijing skyline.

Broadcasters around the world had no choice but to show the footage because it all came from one feed provided by Beijing Olympic Broadcasting - the organisation responsible for filming the games.

The ceremony has also been strongly criticised by architect Ai Weiwei, who helped design the Bird's Nest stadium.

Writing on his blog, Mr Ai described the ceremony as "a recycling of the rubbish of fake classical culture tradition; a sacrilegious visual garbage dump and an insult to the spirit of liberty; low class sound play that's just noise pollution".

He was directly critical of China's ruling communist party, characterising the ceremony as "a showcase of the reincarnation of the Marxist imperialism; the ultimate paragon of an all embracing culture of fascist totalitarianism; an encyclopaedia that encompasses total defeat in intellectual spirit."

Mr Ai helped design the stadium alongside Swiss architect firm, Herzog and de Meuron.

But since then, he has become an outspoken blogger against the Olympics and the Chinese regime. Unusually, he has not been censored by the authorities.

Organiser said that the footprint fireworks were there for real, but thought it unsafe to try to film them - so they recreated them instead.

Could the 2 British gold medals have been faked as well?

Andy Murry crashing out in the first round wasn't!!

[Stephen Coates]

Has anyone been watching it in the morning? I've seen some of the swimming, archery and gymnastics which has been on from about 2am. For some reason I much prefer watching it that early in the morning rather than during the day.

BTW, do any of you think that some swimmers might be getting a slight unfair advantage with all these posh new swimming suits which are supposed to make you something like 5% faster?

I was just thinking, because if you had two people who are just as good as each other, and both take the same amount of time to complete the race, if one of them were to wear a better suit, then he has more chance of winning, and niether are actually swimming any worse or better.

[v85rawdeal]

Mind you, the whole swimming thing has been set up to pander to the Americans.

Hence the new timetables.

My main gripe is that how come the relay events can have TWO completely different teams... I can't imagine that happening in athletics!!! Again, pandering to the americans and their golden boy!!!

[AlexJ]

BTW, do any of you think that some swimmers might be getting a slight unfair advantage with all these posh new swimming suits which are supposed to make you something like 5% faster?

But as all the main competitors are wearing the new suits, there's no advantage over each other. The only advantage they have is over the WR/OR times, and apparently the pool in Beijing is giving them an advantage anyway.

[Harrison]

Yep, and the company who make these new swimming suits offered them too all of the swimmers free, so it has been personal choice if they wear them or not. It is free advertising for the maker after all.

Some swimmers think they do have a big advantage wearing them as they reduce friction and water turbulence. However others think they are too restrictive and they get better performance without them.