WELLINGTON: A New Zealand athlete has turned to prostitution to fund his London Olympics bid, it was reported Sunday.

Logan Campbell, who finished in the top 16 in the taekwondo featherweight division at the Beijing Olympics, has set up a “high-class gentleman’s club” in Auckland, the Sunday Star Times said. Campbell’s Beijing campaign had cost about $93,000, most of which came from his parents, and he said he was sick of relying on them for help so had set up the brothel. Licensed prostitution is legal in New Zealand.

Taekwondo New Zealand (TNZ) was unenthusiastic about the move, saying it would be taken into account when considering him for international selection. “Selection takes into account not just performance but also the athlete’s ability to serve as an example to the youth,” TNZ funding manager John Scholfield told the newspaper.

Campbell, who has taken time off from the sport, said he would launch his London bid in 2011, by which time he hoped to have earned $300,000 from the brothel. With a hefty amount of funding behind him, Campbell believes he will be a serious medal contender in London after being beaten in Beijing by eventual bronze medallist Sung Yu-Chi of Taiwan.