British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals has been blocked from Olympic training due to his OnlyFans account.
Back in April, the 22-year-old athlete’s professional canoeing dreams were cut short when Paddle UK banned him from their World Class Programme, citing “allegations” related to his social media.
The UK sports lottery-funded programme aims to help athletes train for major sporting events, such as the Olympics.
While Paddle UK has refrained from sharing additional details about the allegations and subsequent investigation, the governing body told BBC Sport that Rozentals’ ban “is not disciplinary action” but a “neutral act designed to protect all parties… safeguard other athletes, staff and volunteers.”
In a separate interview with the aforementioned news outlet, the young athlete theorised that the group’s decision stemmed from him having an OnlyFans account, which he created to help raise funds for his Olympic dreams.
“I have been posting videos (on Instagram) that are consciously made to be edgy in order to drive conversions to my “spicy content page” (on OnlyFans),” he explained.
Since starting his OnlyFans in January, Rozentals has earned over £100,000.
For context, athletes participating in Paddle UK’s programme are given a £16,000 annual grant, an amount the young talent says is not enough to train full-time.
“When you have to cover rent, travel, food… and most athletes who train full-time are all living in London. They’re very fortunate to have parent backing – I wasn’t,” he explained to the BBC.
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“I never had the ability to move to London because of financial struggles so I was doing the travel from the East Midlands, where I live, to London, back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”
Towards the end of his interview, Rozentals revealed whether he would stop posting on OnlyFans if it meant keeping his spot in the programme.
“This is the hardest decision that I ever faced in my life. I came to the realisation about why I started doing this last winter after years of struggle, years of living on the edge, my mum working 90 hours a week, having bailiffs at the door,” he said.
“It’s a tough decision, but unless something changes in the way athletes are paid, I don’t see a way of working with Paddle UK.”
Rozentals recent interview comes a month after he initially opened up about the situation in a heartwrenching post on Instagram.
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“I might lose my sports career with this post. But I couldn’t stay silent. For the last 15+ years, my life has revolved around one thing: canoe slalom. The sport I live and breathe. And it wasn’t just me. My family sacrificed everything so I could keep chasing the ultimate dream at racing at the Olympics,” he wrote.
“After my mum sacrificed everything… working 100+ hours a week, putting her needs to one side, I wanted to have a better life, not just for her but also for me. I was sick of worrying how to pay rent; I was sick of being on the verge of homelessness. I did whatever it took to never be in that position. Was it unconventional? Sure. I’m not perfect.
“But to ban me from racing? To ban me from speaking to my teammates like I’m some criminal? That’s fu**ing insane. I’m blessed to have a platform now. But this isn’t just about me anymore. I’m speaking up for every person who’s been pushed aside for not fitting into someone’s box. I’m speaking for everyone punished for not sucking up to the system.
As of writing, Paddle UK’s investigation into the aforementioned allegations is ongoing and being conducted by the independent investigation service Sport Integrity.
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