Bill Gates in China joins ranks of badminton fans

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese are famous fans of Bill Gates, and on Monday the Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O) co-founder became a fan of one of the most popular sports in China, badminton.

Gates and wife Melinda watched from VIP seats as the third seed men's singles player Bao Chunlai of the home team defeat Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-17 21-16 with the Chinese crowd cheering wildly.

"It was great. I was very impressed," Gates, who stepped down from daily operations at the software maker in June, told reporters.

Asked if he was a big fan of the sport, he replied: "I became one."

(Reporting by John Ruwitch; Editing by Nick Macfie)