A British athlete is seeking a sponsorship deal via an online auction site as part of his race to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Sprinter James Ellington, 26, from Lewisham in south-east London, unveiled the auction page on eBay. Ellington has promised that he will wear the branded kit of whoever wins the auction, which carries a 30,000-British pound (47,145-U.S. dollar) reserve.
Ellington turned to eBay after fearing that, without funding, he risks being left behind his international competitors. Four years of serious injury meant Ellington - a 100m, 200m and relay sprinter - slipped down the rankings, and has been passed over by the major sponsors who were looking for long-term tie-ups.
He has enjoyed his best season yet, running 200m in the fastest time by a British athlete this year at a non-altitude venue (20.52 seconds).
To train around the clock like his rivals, Ellington says he needs a 15,000-British pound) 23,566-U.S. dollar) wage and a further 15,000 British pounds for expenses.
"That will cover everything ... training costs, travelling expenses, equipment, physio, medical (and) probably cover my mortgage as well, which I could do with help with and give me the means to train full time," he said.
He said he wasn't angry about the circumstance that led to his novel auction idea.
"It's just luck of the draw. But luckily enough I'm injury-free now, a year before the Olympics, and I'm probably one of the biggest sprint hopes for the country next year," he said.
Ellington's coach, John Powell, said that conditions were tough for athletes seeking funding.
"It's a real rat race out there for international athletes to get sponsorship. And James has had injuries that have really stunted his progress over the last two or three years, up until 2011, of course, when he did make the World Championships and he's really broken through. But I mean lottery support is for the elite elite. He's not been on that scheme until this year, and now he's still only on the bottom rung. So, it really has been a struggle," he said.
Ellington's auction appears to have started well. On Wednesday afternoon, the top bid was already at 8,200 British pounds (12,881 U.S. dollars). By 0500GMT on Thursday, that figure had risen to 31,000 British pounds (48,703 U.S. dollars).
Reuters