Young athletes hopeful of competing in the London 2012 Olympic Games are asking Maidstone businesses for their support.

Maidstone council has set up a website featuring the profiles of 22 Olympic hopefuls from the borough.

More will be added in the coming months.

Businesses can use www.maidstonesdream.co.uk - which launches today - to get in touch with athletes and offer them support.

The Kent Messenger is supporting the service, and will feature profiles of the young athletes in a special section of our website over the coming weeks.

At a launch event held at the Maidstone Gateway, in King Street, last night, Cllr Brian Moss (Con), the council's cabinet member for leisure, said: "Every business can help in some way."

Representatives from firms across the town were urged to imagine their pride if, in 2012, an athlete they had supported claimed a gold medal at the Olympics.

Athletes at the event said that training can cost thousands of pounds a year, including travelling to sport events and equipment. Many of the young people are training at the same time as holding jobs, or studying at university.

Businesses were urged to offer any support they could, either in the form of cash to cover expenses, to discounts on products and services.

Cllr Moss added: "Even a discount on servicing a car once a year would help these athletes in their preparations."

Sponsors will be able to use the Maidstone's Dream website to track the progress of any athletes they support over the next three years, as they take part in competitions across the World in readiness for the Olympic games.

For more, see our Maidstone's Dream special report.

Businesses interested in sponsoring an athlete, and young sportspeople who want to sign up to the website, should go to www.maidstonesdream.co.uk for more details.