The backdrop will be an energetic crowd verging on soccer-style fanaticism, with flag waving, chanting and passionate support. The Brits may have given table tennis to the world, starting it on a Victorian drawing room table, but China embraced, refined, defined and ultimately dominated the sport. Now, its 1.3 billion people consider success their right in the game they call “guo qiu,” or “national ball.”<br /><br />“Every top player dreams of winning an Olympic gold medal and this year’s tournament should have an incredible atmosphere,” said Germany’s Timo Boll, the world’s sixth-ranked player. “It will be harder than ever to beat the Chinese in their own country, but to achieve it would be even more satisfying.”<br /><br />The men’s singles final is expected to get the highest television rating in China on the Games’ penultimate day despite finals in men’s soccer and women’s basketball and the last night of track and field. Tickets for the four disciplines sold out months in advance despite being among the most expensive. Now they are going for around 10 times face value on the black market.<br /><br />The Olympic sport I want to watch is badminton  <img src="http://www.clanlod.net/ipb/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blush:" border="0" alt="blush.gif" /> No joking folks  <img src="http://www.clanlod.net/ipb/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> If you&#39;ve never seen at the professional level, you should. Them there shuttlecocks are flying at light speed.