"Sponsorship is the provision of funds or other forms of support to an individual or event for a commercial return. It is of mutual benefit to both parties, and is now an intrinsic aspect of sports funding." (Wesson and Wiggins, 2000)
             Through the medium of television, business sponsors of sport can create the images they want, allowing identification with the sports and sport stars and introducing new audiences to their product.
             Sponsorship has been a key factor in the redevelopment of many sports, providing capital for the sport and at the same time securing an appropriate image for the sponsor. It also helps the sponsor achieve specific marketing objectives.
             However the disadvantages of sponsorship are that it causes uneven development across some sports and male sport receives substantially more money than female sport. This is a disadvantage for Sarah as she is female and up until recently because of her disability would have also been a disadvantage.
             An individual athlete may also have an agent who promotes the competitor to gain financial benefits for each of them.
             If an athlete is sponsored by a company they will often display the companies names on their equipment or clothing which is known as endorsing a product and the performers are contracted to declare publicly their approval of a product or service. As Sarah is on the World Class Performance programme and a full time swimmer she is lottery funded, a major sponsor for the performance team is Diana, who provides the team, including Sarah with her swimming kit. Sarah also has an agent who promotes her and her sport, which enables Sarah to take part in extra work that promotes her and her sport so that she receives more recognition enabling her to seek out for extra sponsorship.
             Sarah benefits from sponsorship deals as her deal with the David Lloyd for example allows her to have the opportunity to train in the best facilities.
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