Chinese snooker prodigy Ding Junhui said he is quite happy to be a torchbearer for the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay.

He made the remark at a press conference after his hard-earned 5-3 victory over Joe Parry at the first round of the 2008 World Snooker China Open on Tuesday.

He said he has watched Olympic Games since childhood, even though snooker was not listed as an Olympic event.

The snooker star will run with the torch after it reaches Anhui Province.

Commenting on his victory, Ding said he did a good job with good attacks and defense on the whole, even though he had a bad cold and there was something wrong with his stomach after he returned to China from England, where he underwent a tough training schedule.

His opponent Parry spoke highly of Ding's performance.

Parry explained that Ding's defense tactics have become better and better and that he liked to play against him despite his loss.

(BOCOG March 26, 2008)