Chinese NBA star Yao Ming has been named a global ambassador for the Special Olympics, as he topped a Chinese poll of favourite athletes.

The Houston Rockets center's popularity was cited as the main reason for theappointment, which has him joining California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Irish rock singer Bono and other celebrities as a representative of the games for the mentally handicapped.

Yao Ming's hometown of Shanghai will host the Special Olympics World Games in 2007.

The 23-year-old beat international soccer superstars David Beckham and Ronaldo in the poll involving Chinese television viewers.

Other favorites include China's former women's table tennis champion Deng Yaping, diver Fu Mingxia, US basketball legend Michael Jordan, and the former captain of the Chinese soccer team, Fan Zhiyi.

The poll, which involved 500 Chinese aged between 15 and 65 from Shanghai, Beijing and the southern city of Guangzhou, was jointly conducted by the Shanghai TV Festival and CVSC-Sofres Media Company. (Photo: yahoo.com)