Olympian Turns Pimp To Fund 2012 Bid
Taekwondo star: "Pimps are more tough-type guys. I'm an owner of an escort agency."
By EMILY FELDMAN
Updated 6:30 PM EST, Sun, Jul 12, 2009
Prostitution might take one New Zealand athlete to the London Olympics in 2012.
Logan Campbell, 23, needs about $100,000 to train for what would be his second Olympic Taekwondo appearance.
But instead of turning to Mom and Dad for funds as he did during his first Olympic bid, Campbell and a business partner opened a legal brothel in New Zealand to help offset costs, the Sunday Star Times of New Zealand reported.
"When people think of a pimp they think of a guy standing around on a street corner with gold chains," Campbell told the paper. "Pimps are more tough-type guys. I'm an owner of an escort agency."
The New Zealand athlete needed nearly $100,000 to compete for Beijing and his father worked two jobs to help him reach his goal.
This time around, Campbell is taking matters into his own hands. He will take a couple years off to build up his business before launching his Olympic bid in 2011. His brothel, called 25 Cross St., is one of the largest in the country, boasting 14 rooms.
He hopes to raise about $180,000 and said his parents are warming up to the idea of their son, the pimp.
"Mum was hesitant but she met the girls. ... She realized they were just normal people supporting their kids and stuff," the Olympian told the Star Times.
Campbell competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics where he placed 16th in the featherweight division after losing to reigning world champion Yu-Chi Sung, of Taiwan.
When Campbell returned from Beijing, he pulled in a $15,000 performance enhancing grant from a New Zealand sports and recreation company, though they cut funding when he stopped competing, according to the Star Times.
But Taekwondo New Zealand funding manager, John Schofield, says Campbell's business venture might hurt his changes at international selection.
"Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete's ability to serve as an example to the youth of the country," he told the paper.
Campbell's 20-year-old business partner, Hugo Philips, had a tougher time earning blessings from his parents who are both attorneys. His mother temporarily tossed him out of the house.
Campbell says he's keeping 25 Cross St. upscale by employing smart, attractive girls and charging high rates-- up to $2,500 a night. And he says he treats employees well.
"We don't treat them like pieces of meat."
First Published: Jul 12, 2009 4:53 PM EST
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