An avatar (buddy icon) is an Internet user’s representation of himself or herself on-line. It can be a 3 dimensional cartoon figure. Or a badge like the one below.
GymnasticsAvatars.com offers free (100 x 100 pixels) avatars of hundreds of international gymnasts … including Shaposhnikova.
Many use badge avatars to represent them in on-line forums.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 