Travelling to the Olympics has never been an easy business. Edwin Flack had to endure a six-day trip to Athens for the first modern Games in 1896. The young athlete stockpiled holiday time from the accountancy firm where he worked in London and then snuck off to the Games without telling his colleagues. Flack worried that his boss might see the excursion as unduly frivolous but, when he returned to London as a double Olympic champion, the firm were more than impressed.
Athletes do not have to suffer days and weeks of sea sickness on their way to the Games these days – even if they should still keep an eye on their luggage – but travelling across the globe remains expensive and not all of their relatives can afford to make the trip to see them compete.
Ellis Hill was in that position until he was touched by the unlikely kindness of a stranger. Hill drives for Uber in Philadelphia and, while on a trip last week, he happened to tell one of his customers that his son, Darrell (shot put), is competing at Rio this summer. When asked when he was flying down to Brazil to watch his boy, Ellis admitted that he would love to go but just couldn’t afford such an expensive journey.
“It was devastating to hear that,” said the passenger, Liz Willock, in an interview with People magazine. “Here’s this wonderful man, who has a close relationship with his son, and I know any parent would want to see their son or daughter compete at the Olympics, but it was very understandable how that could be out of reach.”
Affected by his plight, she set up a crowdfunding page in the hope that people would come together and help raise enough money to send Ellis to Brazil. She thought it was only right that a father should be there when his son is becoming an Olympian. People seemed to agree. The news spread quickly and the target was raised within a few days. Darrell will make his Olympics debut in the shot put on Thursday – and Ellis will be in the crowd cheering on his boy.