from www.wptz.com – Olympian Logan Campbell is thinking creatively to raise money to fund his bid for the 2012 London Games.
The 23-year-old taekwondo fighter from New Zealand and a business partner, Hugo Phillips, opened a “high-class gentleman’s club,” in Auckland, the Sunday Star-Times reported.
According to the newspaper, Campbell will put aside his dobok and take a break from taekwondo training for a couple of years while he tries to earn about $300,000 from the brothel. He would then launch his bid for the London Games in 2011.
Campbell’s plan has drawn some criticism from New Zealand’s national governing body. According to the Star-Times, the organization said that although the fighter will retain his membership, his mode of fundraising would be taken into consideration when determining which athletes will compete at certain international events.
The featherweight fighter decided to take alternate measures to raise money because he was tired of relying on his parents to fund his Olympic quest, the Star-Times reported. According to the newspaper, it cost Campbell about $150,000 to support his bid for the 2008 Beijing Games. The fighter said to raise that money, his father had to work two jobs to help support his training and travel costs.
According to the Star-Times, Campbell received a $15,000 “performance enhancement grant” after his performance at the 2008 Olympics, where he lost to Chinese Taipei’s Sung Yu-Chi 4-0 in the Round of 16. However, the newspaper reported that Campbell’s grant was suspended because he has not been competing.
The martial artist said his parents have been supportive of his new business. According to the Star-Times, Campbell said his mom was at first hesitant, but that she relaxed after she met some of the girls who were working at the brothel.
“She realized they were just normal people supporting their kids and stuff,” Campbell told the Star-Times.