'Grandma': Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli

Almost fifty year old road cyclist Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli was inevitably nicknamed"Grandma" when she arrived in Beijing to take part in her seventh consecutive Olympic Games.

"I came here for fun," she said.

'Little Emperor': LeBron James

LeBron James

"Xiao Huang Di" which means Little Emperor, is NBA player LeBron James's Chinese nickname. The 24 year old, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is known to his American fans as"King James".

Almost all the members of the USA"Dream Team" have been given Chinese nicknames. Kobe Bryant is called"Xiao Fei Xia", the Chinese name for Peter Pan, because of his apparent ability to fly. Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is known as"Shan Dian" which means lightning flash. Tayshaum Prince is called"Xiao Wangzi" or"little prince".

'Princess of the asymmetric bars': He Kexin

He Kexin

Fans call He Kexin"Princess of the asymmetric bars" because of the tiny Chinese gymnast's breathtaking moves on this difficult apparatus.

She fell from the bars during a qualification round on Sunday, August 10, causing some angst among fans and teammates, but she picked up form for the final on August 13.