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ONG already has coins on a public market, while CEEK will issue its tokens publicly in mid-February. At that point, Bloemen would be able to cash out, though he’ll be at the Olympics and focused on delivering the kind of results that CEEK and ONG are banking on.

“He’s an exceptional athlete who is well positioned to go for the gold,” said Kramer. “We looked at who he was and at his accomplishments and decided this would be a good thing to do.”

Bloemen and his Ottawa-based agent Lawrence Baslaw both liked the unique aspect of the terms and the profile of each company.

“He was very receptive and that’s very indicative of how cutting edge he is,” said Spio. “He’s forward thinking and we wanted to be associated with someone who is forward thinking, who is always pushing the boundary.”

Bloemen admitted he had to bone up on cryptocurrency before signing the deal.

“I had no pre-existing knowledge about it, so I’m excited to learn and see where it’s going. From what I know, it’s something that can go up and down really fast, so it’s pretty exciting.”

The most well-known crypto, Bitcoin, goes up and down all right. In January, it has traded as high as US$17,579 and as low as US$9,400.

Bloemen said he doesn’t trade stocks, so this is a departure for him. So too for the American companies, who have partnered with a Canadian athlete in a lesser-known sport than any of the big four — football, baseball, basketball and hockey — in North America.