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Dale Begg-Smith is Australia's newest Winter Olympian to win a Gold Medal. A self made millionaire and world number 1 in freestyle moguls. You've probably already heard the news if you live in Australia. You probably already know what this blog entry is going to talk about. But I'm still going to write about it... Dale Begg Smith runs an internet pop-up advertising company that he describes as the third largest of its type, according to the International Olympic Committee's website. Begg-Smith drives a Lamborghini. But he is modest and doesn't want to reveal much about his business. He didn't reveal the name of the business, its operations or size except that it had "two or three" employees and that it was a non-issue as the business had been wound down. (Other reports say there were 30 employees) "I haven't spent much time on it, I've let it taper off during the ski season," Begg-Smith said when questioned about his business. "There's not much to say. We design technology and stuff like that, some advertising stuff, too."

But after a little digging in the internet archives it is easy to find out what his real business is. There are two main companies he is involved in - called AdsCPM and CPM Media (suppliers of pop-under and -up advertising to websites) - make money by skimming a small percentage each time an ad scores a hit or is directed to a client's site. Dale says that the numbers that are being thrown around by the media are untrue and after his post race conference Begg-Smith became irritated when more questions were asked about his business. According to Canadian press reports he said: "I don't know why we're talking about the company. I just won Olympic gold." Begg-Smith reiterated that his business was set up to help fund his skiing career and that he was now concentrating on his sport. According to the Canadian Press news agency, Begg-Smith said "his business had never dealt with any specific kind of advertising, only the technology to track how often the ads were being seen. It was up to his customers to decide what kind of ads they wanted to use, he said." "I don't know where you guys get your numbers from," he said. "I make a decent living, not millions of millions of dollars like some people like to say." Asked whether he flew into Turin in a private jet or a commercial liner, he said: "Economy."

Dale Begg-Smith brought home Australia's first men's skiing medal from a Winter Games - lived in Canada six years ago with his brother Jason. Together, the then teenagers started an internet business because their parents wouldn't pay for them to travel the world pursuing the rush of a moguls run. Frustrated with the way their sport was administered in Canada, the brothers migrated to Australia, becoming dual citizens and hooking up with fellow expat Desovich.

Unsuspecting web surfers visiting these sites can unwittingly become infected with so-called adware which spawns annoying advertisement and which can be used to secretly track a user's web surfing habits. Numerous computer security companies have warnings about AdsCPM and CPM Media which are held responsible for the Xzoomy.com search engine directory page and a site called FreeScratchandWin.com. According to the Spyware Guide website, FreeScratchandWin.com opens pop ads "every few minutes", hijacks users' home- and search-page settings and can spy on users' web usage. Another CPM website, 2nd-thought.com, initiates a so-called browser hijacker program that resets the user's home page and often redirect searches to porn sites.

The mystique of Begg-Smith and Jason - who is also on the Australian Olympic team but who is not expected to figure in the medals - started when they emigrated to Australia five years ago from Vancouver. Jason Begg-Smith said of their close relationship: "We work well together in skiing and business and everything we do works out, we always get along . . . Australia offered the opportunity and flexibility to work and ski and that was important to us. Our parents were really supportive, they supported us in whatever direction we wanted to go." To become Australian citizens they both had to sit out of competition for two years. Dale Begg-Smith, now living in South Melbourne, said their time in Australia was limited because "we follow the snow". "I am an Australian now and very proud to compete for Australia," he said. Both missed the opening ceremony, electing to spend time in Prague before arriving in the Alps on Saturday. Their parents, ice-skating coach Maddie Begg and Ralph Smith, and sister, former ice-skater Denise Begg-Smith, will be in Sauze d'Oulx to watch them compete in tomorrow's Olympic competition.

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