This is most likely to happen with sports that involve expensive private lessons. In order to attract the best talent, coaches are sometimes willing to be creative when it comes to getting paid.
Sponsorship is a common way for athletes to cover training expenses.
Usually athletes find their own sponsors, but sometimes sponsors work with coaches instead. Carlo Fassi was interested in coaching him. Fassi turned to a wealthy couple who had invested in his rink. They became Hamilton's sponsors and he moved from Illinois, where he had been training, to Colorado, where Fassi coached. Athletes who want to tap into this kind of sponsorship money have to be prepared to work with the coaches who have it.