Chinese defend Olympic ceremony lip-synch

Officials sought to avoid the idea that Peiyi did not appear because she was judged to be not cute enough, suggesting instead that the two girls were a sum greater than their parts.

One International Olympic Committee member, Gilbert Felli, likened the decision to a coach benching one player in favor of another.

“If your son is playing on a football team, suddenly the coach may decide that he’s not playing, he’s going to stay on the bench,” Felli said. “That’s what it is in sport, and in life.”

But he added, “The right information has to be given to the people.”

Wang Liping, one of Peiyi’s tutors, posted photos of the girl on her blog because she wanted the world to know the face behind the voice.

One photo shows a pretty girl in a white dress with a pink clip in her hair. She appears to be losing her milk teeth, and her new front teeth are only partially grown, and angled slightly. Another shows her rosy-cheeked with fluffy pink toy bunny ears.

Wang said Peiyi was backstage during the opening ceremony and recognized her voice when she heard the song.

Miaoke’s father, Lin Hui, said both girls are cute but he agreed that Peiyi’s voice was “a bit better” than his daughter’s. He said both girls played important roles, but the organizers should have made clear who was singing.

“Letting everybody know is a must,” he told the AP.

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