Rosheika Grant, Star Writer

Less than a week ago, Ricardo Chambers was a part of Jamaica's mile relay team at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, that ran the nation's fastest time in the event in a decade.

Now, Chambers has started a GoFundMe account to pay for the expenses he will incur to train for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

GoFundMe is a fundraising website used by individuals or groups to raise money for different initiatives.

"I was faced with the reality that my resources have been exhausted and can no longer support myself for the preparation of the upcoming Olympic year. I am asking for any assistance to help me prepare for the Olympic season," Chambers said on his GoFundMe account.

The athlete is trying to raise US$15,000 to cover expenses such as medical, nutrition, supplements, and accommodation.

On his Twitter account, the athlete said that he is now actively seeking a job because he cannot support himself financially.

Chambers also bemoaned the lack of support from Jamaica.

"I see athletes from other small islands getting crazy supports from their country without achieving half the success of Jamaica," said Chambers.

THE STAR attempted to get in contact with the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), but our efforts were futile.

However, in a previous article on the issue of Jamaican athletes switching allegiance, the organisation had said they could not afford to assist the athletes.

"We would love to do much more," JAAA General Secretary, Garth Gayle, said. "But we are 95 per cent volunteers working with a limited financial budget."

Gayle also said there is an athlete's welfare committee that is headed by Olympian Michael Frater. That committee reviews applications for assistance and then makes their recommendations to the board, who then decides who gets assistance.

But Chambers is not the only struggling Jamaican athlete, as Olympian Jason 'Dadz' Morgan is another athlete that is forced to work in order to support himself and train.

In a recent interview, Morgan, who coaches himself for the shot put event, said that two days before he was supposed to compete for Jamaica at the 2015 IAAF World Championships, his supervisor messaged him querying how soon he will return for his job.

In recent years, athletes have been switching their allegiance from Jamaica to countries such as Turkey and Bahrain. The lack of support from the JAAA was cited by athlete Kemar Bailey-Cole as the reason some athletes are choosing to compete for other countries.