Three of the athletes in "Team Deloitte" are aiming to qualify for the Olympic Games, while three are aiming to compete in the Paralympics.

According to Deloitte, they embody the values of "leadership, drive, integrity and commitment to excellence."

Among them is Carissa Moore, who hopes to compete in the first ever Olympic surfing competition.

Moore joined the World Championship Tour in 2010, where she became the youngest surfer ever to win a world title and has won three in her career.

"The chance of participating in a first-time Olympic sport is an amazing opportunity, and I'm thrilled to have the support of sponsors like Deloitte to join me on this journey," she said. 

"I am grateful for every chance I get to help advance the sport of surfing, as well as the ability to impact young female athletes to be strong, confident and empowered."

Also in the programme are footballer Crystal Dunn, part of the US team who triumphed at this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup, and volleyball player Benjamin Patch.

The three Paralympians newly sponsored by Deloitte include triathlete Chris Hammer, a former five-time college All-American distance runner who earned a gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara and competed at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Following 2012, Hammer started competing in triathlon, winning bronze medals at the 2014 and 2017 World Championships and coming fourth in Rio 2016.

Also sponsored are wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson and wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden.

McFadden has 17 Paralympic medals, having been born with spina bifida and spent the first six years of her life in a Russian orphanage with no access to a wheelchair.