GUANGZHOU, China, Nov 19, 2010 (AFP) - Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan is getting rock star treatment at the Asian Games, with fans even fighting over his sweaty towels thrown into the stands at the end of every match.
Security guards at the Tianhe badminton venue rushed to break up a scrum between fans tusseling over the towel that Lin tossed into the crowd following his win over Hong Kong's Hu Yun on Thursday.
A young woman succeeded in snatching the sweat-soaked souvenir away from a middle-aged man following the tie in which fans repeatedly chanted both Lin's name as well as his girlfriend, retired badminton star Xie Xingfang, press reports said.
Earlier this week Lin kept alive the faint hopes of millions of adoring female fans after revealing he has no intention of getting married in the near future.
"I am still young so getting married is not on my agenda yet," the 27-year-old said.
"As an athlete, I need to focus on my training and competition," Lin, widely regarded as the best player of all time, was quoted as saying by the state Xinhua news agency.
The dashing Lin's personal life is closely scrutinised by the Chinese press with journalists routinely querying him on everything from his diet to his sleeping patterns in the athletes village.
Lin has won every major title going -- except an Asian Games single gold.
He faces Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh in the quarter-finals later Friday.
