Hollywood East

'It was all for the sake of national interest.' That, to me, will be the quote of the Beijing 2008 Games. That was the justification a Chinese official gave for the sleight of voice switch of two young girls during the grand opening ceremony.

Far from being sports for sports' sake, it appears the Olympics have become a platform for some nationalistic showing off. So much for keeping sports and politics separate.

There have been some great moments at the 29th Olympic Games but little of that has translated into PR benefit for China.

We're not the first nation to exploit the Games for our purpose. Every country that bids for the Olympics has an agenda. Whether as a city's promotional tool or just an excuse to spend a lot of money building vanity structures, it's simply too much work and resources to expend for mere sports without some secondary purpose.

The fact is, nobody hosts the Games because they think it will turn a profit. However, no country has been as image-obsessed as this year's host in the run-up to the Games. The fastidious preparation and gold-chasing mania kind of borders on anal-retentive compulsion. It's not just a bunch of athletic events. It's the people's new manifesto.

Sure, it feels good to field a strong team but let's not pretend an unofficial edict wasn't passed down when the Games were awarded to Beijing in 2001. Let's not kid ourselves that pressure wasn't applied on all of the country's athletes warning them they'd better deliver in seven years - or else. It probably takes a bit of the joy and elation out of winning when it comes as an order from above. For spectators, it also wipes out some of the thrill to think of the athletes as machines churned out by sports factories around the country rather than as inspired individuals in the pursuit of excellence.

Perhaps that's just my western romantic notion of sports versus the ideal of Chinese Confucian collectivism.

Whatever it was, I highly doubt any American official would suggest Michael Phelps' achievements were for the sake of 'national interest'. Interestingly, the only kind of jingoist talk from the US this year has come from the men's basketball team. The 'redeem team' of NBA stars have consistently reiterated their need to reclaim the gold, as if it is something rightfully theirs rather than a prize to be earned.

Of course, these are millionaire superstars with matching egos. Their concern is not necessarily for their country as much as for their own elite, tattooed, basketball superhero selves. How dare a bunch of Angolans, Lithuanians and Greeks beat them four years ago! That's not nationalism. That's National Basketball Association-ism.

A more compelling story was of the whole of China grieving at hurdler Liu Xiang's inability to defend his Olympic title. The flood of emotion displayed, with people crying in the stands, is a bit bewildering. I can't imagine the Swiss collectively crying when Roger Federer lost at Wimbledon or the samba bars closing up in grief over Brazil losing to Argentina in the semi-finals.

To China, Liu pulling out was apparently a significant enough matter that future top leader Xi Jinping even issued a statement: 'We hope that after he recovers, he will continue to train hard and struggle harder for the national glory.' Can you imagine Queen Elizabeth saying something similar about David Beckham's foot? It shows the importance China's leadership places on sporting success as a status symbol.

These are the control freaks in charge who ordered a little girl with uneven teeth to be kept out of the spotlight, gave permission to digitally alter some fireworks footage and ordered the busing in of crowds to clap and shout rehearsed cheers. After all, you can't trust regular crowds. Some of them might wear mismatching clothes.

The remarkable thing about the whole episode is how proud a Chinese spokesman appeared when these facts came out. Without remorse, Wang Wei, a senior Beijing Olympic official, responded to critics by dismissing them. 'I don't think there's anything wrong with it,' he said nonchalantly about the voice dubbing. Maybe manipulation, denial and fudging of facts are normal to him.

One wonders if the leadership realises how it looks to the rest of the world. The fake tricks and child switcheroos tarnished an otherwise majestic and impressive opening ceremony. China may win the most gold, but in the end it might still lose in the final tally.