Australian cricket team Vice Captain Adam Gilchrist has launched a share market linked game in Perth today to raise money to fund the fight against arthritis.
Launching the Adam Gilchrist Trading Challenge at a charity lunch today with Home Building Society, the star cricketer said his awareness of the disease had been highlighted through the prevalence of arthritis among sportspeople.
"There are around 3.4 million Australians with arthritis. With the disease costing around $19 million a year, we need a much greater investment in finding a cure," he said.
The Trading Challenge, which aims to raise funds for Arthritis Australia, will be run over a three month period commencing at the end of June.
Individual players and teams are given 'virtual cash' of $50,000 and are encouraged to play the stock market to win $25,000. Funds raised will be invested in vital research in the search for a cure for arthritis.
"I have seen many sporting colleagues suffer from arthritis following an injury or a fracture. And there are millions more Australians both young and old affected - more than half of all Australians with arthritis are still of working age," Mr Gilchrist said.
Home Building Society Managing Director Craig Coleman said: "This is an innovative and engaging fundraising initiative that will help in the fight against the disease."
Mr Gilchrist has just returned from a successful tour of South Africa and Bangladesh. Joining Mr Gilchrist in launching the Challenge today was a panel of investment experts, including representatives from Azure Capital, IWL Limited, Euroz Group and DJ Carmichael.
The Challenge is also being played by a number of Australian sports, media and business personalities known as Chief Leaders.
