back to article Brothel funds NZ lad's Olympic dream

A NZ Olympic taekwondo hopeful has decided to relieve his parents of the burden of funding his international bids for sporting glory and has opened a brothel to raise cash for his trip to London 2012. Logan Campbell, 23, stumped around NZ$150,000 (£58,000) to compete in Beijing,* with mum and dad footing most of the bill. …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How can...

    ...it cost £58,000 for the Bejign Olympics....

    Suit & Padding approx £200 - £300

    Hotel, hell even £1000 / night. 20 nights.....20K

    Flight. £1000.

    Maybe it' because I'm not an olympic athlete that I can't see whent the other 10's of thousands went...

    Maybe he got the idea for a brothel whilst on this trip?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    How much?!

    Forgive my ignorance but why the hell does it cost so much in the first place? Especially taekwondo, what else do you need other than a white suit, protective gear and some sucker to practise on?

  3. James 55
    Thumb Up

    Good example :D

    I need a comment when I'm commenting?

  4. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge
    Big Brother

    Caliphormication ..... with Venus at the Helm

    "Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete's ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country."

    MeThinks the Evidence Presented Justifies QuITe Stellar Recognition with Reward, 42 Accompany and Energise the Immaculate Resource Assets of Brothels Teams Inner Harems, Core Source Providers.

    The Establishment Knightmare Dream ..... Big Brother is for You and with You and Yours ... and in Absolutely FABulous Control. Although Controls in such Circumstances are Always XXXXPeriMental Betas in Live Operational Virtual Environments ......... and that one Simple Fact Alone Guarantees Prime Time Performance in what is Become Virtual Space Graphic User Interface ........ for Control with CyberSpace Divisions and Green Guerillas.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Come and have a go then

    If I can enlighten ACs # 1 and 2, it is quite true that just going to Beijing is not that expensive. Training hard enough so you're among the best, however, takes time out of your day that you cannot spend, oh I don't know, at a job earning £££? (Reminder: TKD is an amateur sport everywhere in the world, except for Korea and Iran that have pro leagues, and about a dozen other athletes with corporate sponsorship).

    That's not even taking into account that to be among the best, you have to train/compete with them, which involves a lot of travelling, especially if you're from NZ!

    So GO to that guy, maybe it will push his federation to provide him with the funding he needs instead of messing about with hookers. He seems good enough, the guy he narrowly lost to is one of the VERY best.

    FAIL to ACs above, armchair TKD commentards that I'd like to see in the ring with that lad. Who's laughing now?

  6. Pie

    Re: How much?

    Presumably he has to give up his job, to devote himself to full time training, and pay for the training...

  7. Robin

    Untitled

    Somebody give this guy a medal! (Sorry, it's still early)

  8. Robert E A Harvey
    Coat

    New sports?

    Perhaps he can persuade the IOC to introduce sports his girls can represent NZ at?

    (I have to admit my first thought was 'sheep impersonating')

    I'll get me goat.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Fair's fair

    If he's made the effort to get the brothel going, then I guess fair's fair - we should all support his efforts and go make use of the services on offer.

    If he's smart, he'll be his own security and then get to practice on unruly 'clients' too.

  10. lucky13
    Thumb Up

    Rest of the cash

    There is a lot more involved in competing at an Olympic level outside of the 2 weeks your there.

    He would have been preparing for the event years in advance and probably moving towards a full time training programme in the 12 months prior to the event.

    The sort of dedication required to compete (never mind medal) at that level would have probably meant quitting his day job.

    So the cost was probably calculated over a 1-4 year period.

    This could include:

    Coaching

    Gym membership

    Tournaments

    Travel (for Tournaments)

    Accommodation (for Tournaments)

    Training camps

    Specialist diet (athletes diets are expensive)

    Specialist advice (dietician, sports psychologist, bio mechanics)

    Physiotherapy

    Training equipment

    The list could go on.

    Don’t get me started on the UK’s approach to sports funding.... to late

    The top 5 sports for LOTTERY funding (not in any order):

    Athletics

    Swimming

    Rowing

    Sailing

    Cycling (road not mountain bike)

    It’s a disgrace and not representative of modern Britain.

    1. How many people know someone who has ever competed in a rowing/sailing/cycling event?

    2. The majority of people who subscribe to the lottery are working class. Rowing, sailing and cycling are sports reserved for the middle and upper classes due to cost of participation.

    Good on the guy, wish i could find a solution to fund my sporting career

  11. Gavin McMenemy

    Sigh..

    It's not just how much equipment costs.

    You have travel (flights for all the tournaments you are required to get results in - generally this means international travel that's expensive from NZ).

    Accomodation

    Training

    And that will include your fees, hiring your support staff...

    The list goes on. If you've never been at the elite level of sport you don't really realise how much it can cost.

  12. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    Walk softly, carry a big stick

    "Team NZ funding manager John Schofield explained to the Sunday Star Times: "Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete's ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country."

    In which case surely becoming a pimp - sorry, becoming Executive Director of a High Class Escort Agency - fits the bill just fine. An excellent example of thinking outside the box and casting off out-dated puritanical viewpoints.

    Paris : Who also knows how to wield a shaft.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Example to youth?

    I assume that if brothels are not legal in NZ then it would be wrong to draw any inference from him owning one?

    Paris? She wouldn't be drawing an inference....

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    @ Another AC

    "FAIL to ACs above, armchair TKD commentards that I'd like to see in the ring with that lad"

    Actually I beat many a UK TKD champion in my youth, being a ex UK kickboxer & freestyle Karate champion, we had many cross style compititions, including kungFu, TKD, ThaiBoxing, Jujitsu, TKD being the easiest to beat when you know how.

    a) In the UK they don't know the meaning of semi or full contact until they are very experienced, putting them at a disadvantage.

    b). Hint, storm in. They rely on their legs to much, struggling with close quarter combat. The complete opposite of Judo (keep your distance). As for KungFu & Thai, there were my biggest threat and often won.

    So I'm happy to comment.....being very experienced.

    Why didn't I go on further? The lure of sex, drugs and rock and roll, proved to much when I was eighteen. 5 days a week training + weekends competing, never had a chance against the heady acid house scene.

    Wouldn't change a thing....

  15. 2FishInATank
    Paris Hilton

    So what happened?

    From the (marvellous!) article: Regarding quite what his dear old ma thought of the whole thing, Campbell explained: "Mum was hesitant but she met the girls, a couple came over to her house and she was sweet as."

    So what happened in the time between a couple of the girls going over to his mum's house and her being "sweet as"? Inquiring minds want to know!

    Were the events recorded for posterity? Are they available on DVD?

    Paris because her posterior has been on DVD.......

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sorry, Lucky13

    ... but the top five sports for Sport England/lottery funding are, of course.

    1) Football

    2) Football

    3) Football

    4) Football

    5) A few Olympic sports every four years (but not too much as to disturb the funding for football too much).

    It explains why England is crap at many sports. But it doesn't explain why it's crap at football.

  17. Gordon Ross Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Excellent Example

    "Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete's ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country."

    I think that this guy should be immediately selected to represent his country. He's obviously got initiative & a good entrepreneurial head on his shoulders, which will stand him in good stead when he eventually retires from his sport.

    The funding manager, however, needs to take a running jump. If the business is legal, what's wrong ?

  18. John Bayly
    Thumb Down

    @lucky13

    "How many people know someone who has ever competed in a rowing/sailing/cycling event?"

    Yup, several people in all three, in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland (Also a Dutch & German rower)

    As for your list of 5 top sports for funding, they're the most expensive sports so they get the most funding, duh. If the National Lottery provide (for example 50%) of the required funding for each discipline, then the least expensive disciplines will be better off as the competitor needs to raise less money personally compared to those in Sailing, Rowing etc.

    Sailing has provided one of the best medal to funding ratio in the last few games, and your top 5 funded sports are those disciplines that have won the most medals for the last 4 games.

    Finally, when was the last time you heard of a British sailor or rower failing a drugs test. Now compare that to athletics, football & boxing: the sports I'm sure you feel are representative of "Modern Britain". Makes you proud doesn't it?

  19. Bassey
    Thumb Down

    Elite Sports

    Since when was cycling an upper-class sport? Quick check on the GB entries in the Tour De France

    1) Mark Cavendish - Isle of Man, worked in a Bank to fund his early career

    2) Bradley Wiggins - Born in Belgium and his Dad was a cyclist - no blue blood the last I checked

    3) David Miller - Born in Malta and his dad flew with the RAF

    And I've known plenty of cyclists, sailors and rowers. A few of the rowers were public school but most of those in sailing were from the fishing community and the cyclists are as down to earth as you can get. Certainly more so than those oh-so-working-class footballers.

    And good luck to this bloke. He's clearly willing to risk the ridicule he knew was coming his way in order to pursue his dream.

  20. Bruce Hoult
    Alert

    prostitution has been legal forever

    Just to clarify one point. Prostitution -- that is the exchanging of money between people having sex with each other -- has been perfectly legal in NZ for many decades.

    What changed a few years ago was that it stopped being illegal to be a pimp/madam, or to approach someone and ask if they'd like a good time.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Lucky 13

    Well, I've competed in sailing to a fairly high level, and canoeing to a low level (well, its like rowing, a bit). Fairly lower middle class I suppose. Do I count?

    Sadly no longer do either, the lure of motor racing has taken over. If you think the sports you mentioned are a bit pricy.....and that's not even an Olympic sport.

  22. Henry 3
    Go

    Perhaps he should

    ....extend his entrepeneurial skills by saving his money, buying an island close by and declaring independence from NZ.

  23. elderlybloke
    Paris Hilton

    Attn. Robert E.A. Harvey

    I know you are an Australian.

    They keep making references to Sheep and New Zealanders.

    I prefer Paris.

  24. S Larti
    Paris Hilton

    War chest?

    I think the BBC did it better with a, presumably innocent, reference to a "NZ$300,000 Olympic kitty"

    Paris, because her kitty must be worth a few bob.

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