Secret's Out! China Rages Over Olympic Leak
Millions catch a sneak peek of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony rehearsal.
July 31, 2008— -- "Did you see it, did you see it?" was the question of the day in China this morning. In Beijing, buzz filled the air as a secretly filmed video of a rehearsal for the highly anticipated Olympics opening ceremony circulated on the Internet.
SBS, the Korean television station, accomplished what many thought to be impossible.
Security surrounding plans for the opening ceremony has been unprecedented. SBS somehow slipped by three layers of high security to shoot the opening ceremonies' dress rehearsal. The ceremony has cost Beijing more than $300 million and features over 10,000 performers.
The video surfaced online last night, allowing millions to catch a sneak peek of what promises to be China's proudest debut.
Damage Control
Authorities acted quickly to control the damage. The video -- which features floating dancers, thousands of synchronized martial artists, and giant blue whales -- was yanked from YouTube by mid-morning on Thursday and entirely blocked in China.
The Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) was furious, saying that the filming was unauthorized.
"We are disappointed and frustrated with the broadcast by SBS,'' Beijing Olympics committee spokesman Sun Weide said at a press conference today.
"This was against the rules…and we hope that everyone will wait until August 8 to see the opening ceremonies."
"It is disappointing that someone comes in there and literally steals one of the most exciting moments of the Games," said Kevan Gosper, an International Olympic Committee executive board member. "This is a great surprise and I have not heard of this happening before."
Whether SBS was allowed in the opening ceremonies rehearsal is unclear, and Sun did not indicate whether or how SBS would be punished for the recording.
"This matter is still under investigation,'' Sun said. "We are checking into the situation."
A representative from SBS told the Associated Press that nobody stopped them when they entered the stadium on Monday.
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