'We are aware of Evan as an outstanding athlete, however we are unable to support him.'' The week he received this response to his request for sponsorship from a multi national wholesale nhl jerseys sporting brand, Evan O'Hanlon shaved a second off the world record in the men's 100 metre sprint.

At 10.88 seconds, O'Hanlon is the fourth fastest Paralympian in any event, ever. His unofficial world record of 10.83 seconds, set at local meet this month, makes him the fastest Australian Paralympian of any disability and puts him barely a second behind the world's fastest able bodied 100 metre sprinters.

O'Hanlon, 24, represented Australia in his first Paralympics in Beijing in 2008, and brought home three gold medals and two world records. ''It was a real eye opener because of how professional Paralympic sport is in some countries. We're not quite there yet.''

O'Hanlon in Beijing in 2008. Photo: Getty Images

''By covering it up, we're proving that we do have worth,'' says O'Hanlon, from Hunters Hill. ''It's what cheap nhl jerseys china any Paralympian deserves.''

It's a small gesture, but one they hope will draw attention to their value as elite athletes as they work to foster a positive culture of competition and professionalism in Paralympic sport in Australia.

O'Hanlon was born with cerebral palsy, which limits strength and co ordination on the left side of his body. But it is hardly discernible on his strapping 1.82 metre frame. He stop starts our interview between extra training on that side to keep it strong.

''I've learned to crack eggs and shuffle cards with my right hand,'' he says, ''so people generally don't know I have CP unless I tell them.''

O'Hanlon is classed as T38, meaning he competes in track events, has cerebral palsy and, of those with CP, he is among the least affected. He was scouted straight out of school and has trained at the Australian Institute of Sport under coach Iryna Dvoskina for six years. ''This is our full time job. We just don't get paid like your regular nine to five.''

More than 5000 media representatives from around the globe are poised to cover wholesale nhl jerseys from china the event from the British capital, which is expected to make this year's Paralympic Games the most watched ever. Following the opening ceremony on Wednesday, 4200 elite athletes from 165 countries will compete in 20 sports over 11 days. With more than a million tickets sold, demand is so high that several sessions have gone to a ballot.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games recently announced that the 2012 Paralympic Games were set to generate record broadcast revenue worldwide. Deals with broadcasters from Japan to Brazil mean the Games will receive their most intense coverage in history, providing corporate sponsors fertile grounds for advertising.

So why are many Paralympians paying for the shoes they run in?

Chris Styring, general manager of Sports and Entertainment at Sweeney Research, says Paralympians don't yet receive the profile they deserve. ''It comes down to coverage, so brands and companies will always look for the biggest bang cheap nhl jerseys for buck,'' he says. For this reason, the huge rise in coverage of the London Games may well be a turning point in the public perception of Paralympic athletes.

But the difficulty in any type of sports marketing, says Pascale Quester, sponsorship expert and professor of marketing at the University of Adelaide, is that the message is fleeting. Brands that rely on crude audience numbers as a measure of value could be failing to recognise the potential of sponsoring Paralympic athletes.

It is not to say that brands and corporations lack values or are naive in their marketing campaigns, but there are several variables considered when assessing an athlete able bodied or otherwise. Companies are as concerned with what they want to communicate about themselves as the athletes they choose to support, says Quester. ''Paralympic athletes have the potential to be more valuable for companies who understand the ways in which that person aligns with their values, both on and of the field.''

Athletes can't control every factor in their value proposition. For instance, next to friend and teammate Scott Reardon, 22, O'Hanlon doesn't have a ''sexy'' disability that is, it's not immediately identifiable. Reardon, also a runner, is a ''through knee'' amputee. He lost his right leg on his family's property in Temora, NSW, when his shoelace became entangled in farm machinery. He wears a prosthetic leg when he trains and competes.

Styring says sponsors and consumers are more attracted to athletes like Reardon.

''In any case,'' says Quester, ''it's not going to be the type of disability or the way they look it's the whole person.'' That is, the onus here is not squarely on companies to adapt. Now, it's up to the athletes to take charge and make that relationship worthwhile. ''If Paralympians understand what they can wholesale nhl jerseys china contribute to the brand and the brand's worth,'' she says, ''it's far more self affirming than simply asking for money.''

When they step up to the starting line in London, Reardon and teammate Brad Scott, 24 a long distance runner, also with cerebral palsy will be taping up their shoes. ''If we wear that advertising on our shoe out there, we're watering down the support of companies who give something back to the Paralympic movement in their sponsorship,'' says Scott. ''I don't want to devalue that.''

As this article went to print, O'Hanlon had just secured a deal with the sporting brand ASICS, which will provide him with kit but no money for the Games. So he will proudly display the ASICS brand.

Though it may go cheap nhl jerseys from china unnoticed by viewers, the tape on his fellow athletes' shoes declares their own value as competitors. What they're seeking is a balanced relationship in which companies don't get free ads and athletes don't ask for money for nothing.

''What we're trying to do here is create a culture where these elite athletes are professionals recognised for their achievements rather than their disabilities,'' says Reardon.