Asians love Olympics best -- survey

Forget about football and cricket -- Asians love the Olympics best and hosting the Games in Beijing only adds to the attraction for some fans in the region, said a survey published Tuesday.

Asked to rank global sporting events in order of interest, 4,556 Asians in nine countries put the Olympics top, with football's World Cup second.

The Asian Games, often regarded as the region's own version of the Olympics, ranked third.

The high level of interest "bodes well for the coming Olympic Games, which traditionally attracts billions of viewers," said a statement from Olympic worldwide partner Visa, which commissioned the survey.

Three out of four respondents put the Games on top, with 59 percent favouring football's World Cup and 49 percent backing the Asian Games. Next came the cricket World Cup (37 percent) and Formula One Grand Prix motor racing
(36).

Beijing organisers have ...