Compared with Qiao and Lang, James Li's inclusion in the US Olympic team is probably most significant although he is the least known of the trio in China. Having a Chinese person coaching track and field in the US is much like having an American coaching table tennis in China.

The 47-year-old Li won no medals as a cross-country runner or a coach in China, but found success after moving to the US in 1985. He became a US citizen in 1998.

As head coach of the University of Arizona athletics team, Li produced seven UCAA champions, including world champion Bernard Lagat.

Lagat became the first man to win both the 1,500m and 5,000m in the world championships last year and Li was named the track coach of the year in the US.

Last March, Li was named manager of the US Olympic men's track and field team. Last week, he returned to his native land with such track superstars as Tyson Gay and Jeremy Wariner.

The coaching veteran is unfazed by his Olympic appointment.

"It's not surprising to me because I had the same job during the 2001 World University Games and last year's World Championships," Li said.

There are more Chinese faces on the US Olympic team. One of the most famous is table tennis veteran Gao Jun, a former world champion while playing for her home country. She is now back in Beijing playing for the US table tennis team.

"The (sports) world is now global," said Wei Jizhong, acting president of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB). "We may need some help from a foreign country, and, in return, we can help foreign countries. That's the way the world is now."