Competed at Beijing Olympics? Check. Ran a brothel and made a ton of cash? Check. Chosen to represent country at London 2012? Check!
This is what Logan Campbell’s life questionnaire might look like after the former pimp was named on the New Zealand taekwondo team for the summer Olympics, despite openly running a brothel in an effort to fund his training.
In New Zealand, prostitution is not illegal. When he started the venture in 2009, Campbell was warned by the NZ Olympic Committee that going in to this line of business would not look good for him.
“At the time taekwondo wasn’t getting any funding at all, so it was pretty much to get good at the sport you had to get international competition and there wasn’t any funding for us,” said the 25-year-old about why he started the escort agency, according to 3news.co.nz.
He sold the escort agency a year later, but not before earning a reported $250,000.
The Auckland native later got a grant that allowed him to train full-time, and he became eligible for the Olympics after topping the rankings in the Oceania region.
“Even though the business I was involved in, some people might not agree with it, they’re a big enough organization and big enough people to say ‘hey, he’s the best in the sport, he deserves to go, we’re going to send him,'” said Campbell, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Campbell reached the final 16 when he competed in the Beijing Olympics in the under 58 kg class and will compete this summer in the under 60 kg class.
