Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan is getting the rock star treatment at the Asian Games, with fans 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 tussling over the towel that Lin tossed in their direction 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 and that of his girlfriend, retired badminton star Xie Xingfang.

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 Xinhua news agency.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/20/2010)