China's hairiest man, a wannabe pop star who calls himself King Kong, wants to carry the Olympic torch on its journey to Beijing in 2008.

Yu Zhenhuan, from the northeastern province of Liaoning, told the Xinhua news agency that his fame and extreme hirsutism qualified him to be one of the 21,880 people who will carry the torch on its roundabout, 85,000-mile voyage next year.

"It would be a great honour to join the Olympic torch relay," said Mr Yu, a 30-year-old rock singer who was recently deposed as the world's hairiest man by a pair of Mexican brothers. "The Olympics belong to everyone — the common people and those with abnormalities included."

Born with hair growing all over his body, except for the soles of his hands and feet and few patches on his face, Mr Yu said his life of adversity made him an ideal candidate to carry the torch, a symbol of Prometheus's stealing of fire from the gods which has been a fixture of the modern Olympics since it was introduced at the Berlin games in 1936.

"First I am a celebrity, inside and outside of China," he said, "and secondly, I think my experience in coping with a disfigurement ties in with the notion of Olympic spirit."

Mr Yu has said that he adopted the nickname King Kong not only on account of his hairiness but also because he shares the monstrous ape's "obstinacy and affectionateness". In 2004, he had to undergo surgery to remove hairs from his ears that were interfering with his hearing and he has fought his corner before, suing a carnival in Beijing for using his image without his permission.

In his current campaign, he already has the support of the Chinese gymnast, Xing Aowei, part of the men's gold-medal-winning team at the Sydney Olympics, who said: "In him, I see the perseverance and bravery of the Chinese people. I will help him with publicity and give him some ideas."

Nonetheless, Mr Yu will have to apply like anyone else to the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) for a part in the complex transfer of the torch and flame next year. The route, which will cross five continents, has already touched diplomatic sore-spots, with its intentions to pass through first Taiwan and then Tibet on its way to ascend Mount Everest.

"We welcome celebrities to apply to join the torch relay," said a spokesman for BOCOG, "but it is hard to assess his chances, as the recruitment is open to everyone."

Although hair covers 96 per cent of Mr Yu's body, he is no longer considered the world's hairiest man. He has been replaced in the Guinness Book of World Records by Victor “Larry” and Gabriel “Danny” Ramos Gomez, from Mexico, who have a 98 per cent rating. The number of hair follicles we are born with is determined by our genes. Hirsutism is caused by high levels of sex hormones and the sensitivity of follicles to those hormones. Extreme hirsutism, like Mr Yu's, is known as atavism.

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