If anyone asks me what will be the most-watched sport at the coming Asian Games in the South China metropolis of Guangzhou, I would have to say badminton.

And here are the reasons why:

First, badminton is Guangzhou's favorite sport, according to a 2008 report conducted by Lu Shuting, a professor at Guangzhou Sport University. The report said people who regularly played badminton in the city reached a stunning 2.8 million annually, more than any city in China. There are more than 1,600 badminton courts in the city. That breaks down to about 2.7 courts per 10,000 people. In the downtown Tianhe district, the number soars to 6.33 per 10,000.