British shaving brand, King of Shaves has come to the rescue of James Ellington, a British Olympic hopeful who was forced to seek a sponsorship deal via eBay - and then targeted by a hoaxer, Optimist News reports.

James' plight for a sponsor began in December, having missed out previously on funding opportunities due to injury which had also jeopardised his Olympic dreams.

Having offered himself for sponsorship via an online eBay auction, King of Shaves founder and CEO Will King tweeted James directly, telling him to get in touch should the deal fall-through. James later discovered that his top eBay bidder wasn't genuine and as a result King of Shaves secured the primary sponsorship of this top athlete.

This sponsorship deal and others to be announced over the coming months, builds on King of Shaves' Young Blades athletes initiative that ran between 2004 and 2010. In 2007, King of Shaves sponsored James Sheppard in Powerboat P1, he went on to become World Champion in that year. In 2010 the company also supported Jon Beeby who walked across the USA in 80 days to raise funds for charity.