China called to prayer over Yao's left foot

China mourned Yao Ming's ankle injury this week although confidence was high that the basketball superstar would be fit to take his place as one of the faces of the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

The 27-year-old is China's most popular sportsman and the impact of his possible absence from the Games goes well beyond the host country's already slim chances of winning a basketball medal on home soil.

Beijing Olympic organisers, sponsors such as Reebok, Visa and Coca Cola as well as the National Basketball Association (NBA) have all used Yao's image to promote their interests in the world's most populous country.

Basketball is fast becoming China's favourite sport, particularly among the young, and the prospect of the 7 ft 6 in (2.286m) Yao missing out on the country's big sporting party is dominating the news.

Because of his popularity and international reknown, Yao is a leading candidate to fulfill the prestigious role of lighting the cauldron at the showpiece stadium for the Olympics, the Bird's Nest, on Aug. 8.

A spokesman for the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games said "like all Chinese", the organisers hoped Yao would be fit to take part in the Games.

"Pray for Yao Ming," read the banner headline on www.nba.com/china , adding underneath: "The Giant will never fall."

"We will wait for you in silence," said a post on a forum on the website.