Team GB beach volleyball coach Lewie Lett has said that British pair Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf set a "good example" to younger athletes after funding themselves to reach the European Games in Baku.
Funding for the sport was cut following the London 2012 Olympics, leaving the duo reliant on sponsors and their own cash to reach competitions.
The coach told reporters: "It's almost a miracle they are here. These two are really good examples to say to our youngsters, 'Hey look, if you back yourself you can make things happen'."
Gregory added: "We try and save up during the winter as much as we can. We use money we do raise from sponsors and funding to pay for our flights and accommodation and then if we are short we use our own money. By the end of the year we are kind of back to zero."
The men's beach volleyball competition gets underway on Wednesday.
