Australian Athletes Turn To Crowdfunding To Raise Money To Compete In Rio Olympics

Australian athletes "are using crowdfunding to raise money for their trip to the 2016 Rio Olympics," according to Olivia Chang of BUSINESS INSIDER AUSTRALIA. A dozen athletes, especially those competing in sports which lack huge sponsorships, "are resorting to the crowdfunding site GoFundMe so they can afford to compete in Rio." Athletes have included New South Wales rider Sue Hearn, gymnast Danni Prince and wrestlers Talgat Ilyasov and Connor Evans. Ilyasov: "Funding for the sport of wrestling in Australia is very limited and the majority of expenses are self-funded. Competing in the Olympics means I must dedicate a large amount of time to training and this will result in additional expenses." The Australian men’s handball team has also "turned to crowdfunding" with the aim of reaching A$30,000 ($22,100) since the sport is not funded by the government or the Olympic committee. So far, they have "managed to raise around half that amount in the space of seven months." Most of the money raised "will be used by athletes to cover the cost of flights, accommodation, travel insurance and transport" (BUSINESS INSIDER AUSTRALIA, 5/8).