it was and I agree with you...
but I’ve been to the Olympics four different times (LA ‘84/Calgary ‘88/Atlanta ‘96/ SLC ‘02) and have never seen a soldier take part in opening/closing ceremony...
I just noticed something: they had a long shot of the stadium floor, and the Chinese flag was in the foreground. It was standing almost straight out like it was in a strong wind. The way that stadium is designed, that can’t happen....naturally. They’ve got a freakin’ FAN on that thing. Never seen THAT before.