PETALING JAYA: Open water swimmer Heidi Gan has set her sights on making a second Olympic appearance in Rio in 2016 and she can certainly be better off if there was financial support streaming in.
Heidi, who managed a top 30 finish in her maiden World Championships outing in Barcelona last month, is hoping for help from local companies in her endeavour to qualify for the Olympics again.
The Perth-based law undergraduate, who will turn 25 in October, is currently getting a monthly allowance from National Sports Council (NSC) but it is barely enough to cover her daily expenses due to the high cost of living in Australia.
Heidi has to work part-time to support herself while studying and in a way it disrupts her training schedule.
“In terms of funding, I am given a monthly allowance from NSC as part of their athlete funding programme.
“But because I am based in Australia, the allowance does not really cover many of my expenses since the cost of living is much higher in Perth,” said Heidi, who explained why it is hard for her to appeal for sponsorship from Malaysian and Australian firms.
“It’s difficult to attract sponsorship from companies to help me.
“Australian companies find it difficult to sponsor me because I am competing against Australian athletes.
“And Malaysian companies are also hesitant because I am based overseas and cannot represent them at a local level. Moreover, open water does not have as much recognition in Malaysia as badminton and diving, so that is another reason why I am finding it difficult to secure support at the moment.
“I still see racing experience as one of the most valuable things I can gain in the next few years leading up to the Rio Olympics. That is why I want to keep gaining valuable experience at world level and develop my swimming career further,” added the double SEA Games gold medallist in 2011.
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