Sydney Olympics Also Featured Fake Performances

The world was shocked to learn that Chinese singer Lin Miaoke was really just a pretty lip-syncher, but fakery seems to be par for the Olympic course: the Sydney Symphony has disclosed that its performers mimed to a backing tape during the 2000 opening ceremony. "It's correct that we were basically miming to a pre-recording," an ensemble official told the Morning Herald.

In addition, part of the backing tape was recorded by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra—though MSO director Trevor Green said it was just to save time. Green also defended Sydney’s "symph synching": "The miming side of it is perfectly normal," he said. "There are millions of people watching and if something goes wrong you'd be snookered." (More 2000 Sydney Olympics stories.)