A British canoeist has been banned from competing and says he is being forced to choose between his Olympic dream and his OnlyFans account.
Kurts Adams Rozentals, who competes in the individual canoe slalom, was suspended in April by governing body Paddle UK following “allegations” about his posts on social media.
Paddle UK removed Rozentals from their World Class Programme – UK Sport’s lottery-funded initiative to put athletes on the course for the Olympics – pending an investigation.
While Paddle UK have refused to clarify the nature of the allegations, Rozentals suspects it is due to him creating content on subscription website OnlyFans, which is known for hosting adult content.
“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), to fund this ultimate dream of going to the Olympics,” Rozentals told My Newspaper Sport.
Rozentals, who has more than 10,000 ‘likes’ on OnlyFans, has posted 39 videos and over 100 photos on the website.
He says he has earned more than £100,000 since creating his OnlyFans account in January.
He said he received a call from a Paddle UK representative last month to tell him that he was suspended from competing and could no longer contact any of the staff or athletes on the programme.
“I kind of froze and I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing because this is what I put my life into this is everything I do,” Rozentals added.
“My personality at this point, my identity, is sport and I want to be a professional athlete chasing my Olympic dream.”
Rozentals created his own OnlyFans account in January 2025 in order to help fund his training programme and he posts videos and pictures on his Instagram account to drive viewers towards the content.
Each athlete on Paddle UK’s programme receives an annual grant of £16,000 to support their training.
But Rozentals says the programme’s funding is nowhere near enough.
“I don’t know how much you need but it’s certainly not £16,000,” said Rozentals.
“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. I never had the ability to move to London because of financial struggles so I was always doing the travel from the East Midlands, where I live, to London, back-and-forth, back-and-forth.”
Rozentals, who won individual C1 silver at the World Under-23 Championships in 2023, is awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
PaddleUK say Rozentals’ ban is not disciplinary action, but an “interim action” and a “neutral act designed to protect all parties” and to “safeguard other athletes, staff, and volunteers due to the nature of the allegation”.
“The investigation has been referred to independent investigation service Sport Integrity,” the governing body said.
It added: “Paddle UK is committed to ensuring a safe and open environment for all, and interim action under the Athlete Disciplinary Policy is only taken where necessary and proportionate.”
Paddle UK’s Athlete Disciplinary Policy lists “offensive use of social media” and “indecent, offensive or immoral behaviour” as examples of gross misconduct that could lead to de-selection.
Asked if he will stop posting on OnlyFans in order to preserve his place on the programme, Rozentals says he should not have to choose between financial security and his Olympic dream.
“This is the hardest decision that I’ve ever faced in my life,” said Rozentals.
“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.
“I’m going to find a way where we don’t have to struggle, where my mum can enjoy her life and I’m able to put everything into this sport because when you’re thinking about how to pay the rent this month and you’re standing at the start line, that’s not very conducive [to performing well].
“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”.
Olympic gold medallist Jack Laughercreated his own OnlyFans accountin 2024 to “make ends meet”.
The diver won bronze for Great Britain in the men’s synchronised 3m springboard in Paris last summer after silver and bronze in Rio eight years earlier.
“There’s nothing left to the imagination when you just wear trunks all the time and he just posts pictures of himself as you would see him if he was in a competition,” Laugher’s father said.
“It makes extra money for him and he’s pleased to have the opportunity, but it’s nothing that you couldn’t show your grandma.”
Funding body UK Sport said it would not comment on an ongoing investigation but added: “Our Athlete Performance Award (APA) is designed as a contribution towards an athlete’s living and basic sporting costs.
“In March, we announced an increase in the value of APAs at all levels. They form just one element of the support package on offer for funded athletes in Olympic and Paralympic sport.”
By My Newspaper Sport’sAsk Me Anythingteam
OnlyFans is an online platform where people create content (photos, videos and live streams), which can be monetised.
Users can pay for monthly subscriptions, tips and pay-per-view for the service, which is known for hosting sexually explicit material, although it is not exclusively a platform for adult content.
Creators are paid around 80% of the fees.
In 2023, OnlyFans had 220 million users and more than two million creators worldwide.
SingerKate Nash said last year that she created contenton the app because it’s “a really difficult time for artists to tour”.
