"The performances of the Chinese athletes are wonderful!" Cairo fast-food restaurant manager Said said of the Chinese athletes competing at the ongoing Beijing Olympic Games.

"It's great for the Chinese team to lead the medal tally since the beginning of the Games," said Said, whose snack bar in the suburban district of Maadi is crowded every night with locals watching repeat telecasts of the gymnastic events on television.

It is midnight Sunday, and gentle summer breezes cool the streets of the Egyptian capital. But the mercury is rising inside the cafes of Cairo, as the passions and cheers of Olympic fans reach fever pitch.

Cafes along the banks of the Nile River and in Maadi have become popular venues for Olympic fans to enjoy the Games since its opening on August 8.

In another cafe along the Nile, the Olympics attracted dozens of sports fans, who say they cheer not only for the Egyptian team but for the Chinese athletes and sports stars from other countries as well.

"We enjoy the Games by watching TV broadcasts in the cafe," said Mohamed, one of the fans, adding that it was great to sit in the cafe every night to share the joy of watching the Games with friends.

Egypt has sent a delegation of 188 members to Beijing, a record number in the country's Olympic history. On Wednesday, Egyptian judoka Hisham Mesbah won a bronze medal in the men's 90 kg competition, his country's first win at the Beijing Olympics.

Due to the time difference with Beijing, Egyptians have to stay up late to watch the Games.

Abdul Aziz, who works at a computer firm, said he cannot watch the live broadcast of most competitions because they are often held while it's early morning in Egypt.

"I go to cafes after 10 o'clock at night to watch the rebroadcast of the Games," said Aziz. "I stay in the cafe the whole day on Fridays."

"It's the best way for me to relax after a day of work and I enjoy the Games very much," he said.

Sports fan Tamer Abdullah, a judge in Cairo, prefers to watch individual events such as fencing, wrestling and judo. "I often stay up very late to watch those events on TV," he said.

Egyptian sports fans say they will keep following the Games in the hope of seeing their athletes win a medal in the pentathlon and other individual events.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2008)