British canoeist says he’s being forced to choose between Olympic dreams and OnlyFans

Kurts Adams Rozentals claimed he has been stopped from pursuing his ambition to become an Olympic canoeist because of his "edgy" social media content. (Alex Pantling/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

A top British canoeist claims he has been banned from competing in the sport because of content he posted on the OnlyFans social media site.

Kurts Adams Rozentals is described as “an elite performer” on the website of Paddle UK, the umbrella body governing the sport in Britain. According to the site, Rozentals won a silver medal in the canoe slalom at the World Under-23 Championships in 2023, while also picking up a silver as part of a three-man team at the same event.

A separate page on the site shows that the 22-year-old was in contention to represent Great Britain at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

But all this came to a halt, Rozentals said, at the beginning of April, when he was contacted by the governing body.

In a lengthy Instagram post dated April 12, he told his 73,900 followers that “i got a call from a PaddleUK representative, where i was told that i’m banned from competing at the 2nd and final part of GB team selections as well as banned from speaking to my coach, staff and teammates.

“PaddleUK’s reasoning? my social media posts.”

OnlyFans is a popular subscription-based website known for its sexually explicit content, although some content creators also post music and fitness videos.

Paddle UK confirmed to CNN in an email that it is carrying out an investigation but declined to go into the details.

“Paddle UK can confirm that in line with our Athlete Disciplinary Policy, an athlete on the canoe slalom programme is under interim action, pending the outcome of an investigation,” the governing body said.

“The investigation has been referred to independent investigation service Sport Integrity,” it added.

According to Paddle UK, the investigation “places a restriction on the athlete being able to engage with the World Class Programme (which includes communicating with athletes, coaches and staff who are part of the programme).”

It also means the athlete cannot attend sites or facilities associated with the governing bodies.

The body 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.”

Struggling to pay the bills

Rozentals said on Instagram that his family had “sacrificed everything so i could keep chasing the ultimate dream of racing at the Olympics.”

The athlete, who moved to the United Kingdom from Latvia as a child, told followers that “money has always been a massive struggle” for him and his family so he decided to do “whatever it takes” to succeed.

He wrote: “i started making what they now describe ‘edgy videos’, with the focus to grow a following, because trying to live on the salary PaddleUK pays their athletes is near impossible.”

He continued: “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.”

OnlyFans wasn’t first choice

The 22-year-old told CNN that the ban came in between the two selection rounds for the British team, adding: “The goal of that post was for it to go viral and get the message across about athletes’ funding.”

The decision “came out of the blue,” he said, and left him feeling he was being “treated like a criminal.” There has been no further communication from Paddle UK, he added.

Rozentals’ Instagram account links to a website bearing his name. The landing page features the OnlyFans logo with a clickable link, and the message: “Dear mum and dad, please don’t click on this link.

“And to everyone else, hope you enjoy ;)”

Rozentals told CNN that he earns £16,000 (US$21,500) a year from canoeing and that he had tried multiple other revenue sources before turning to OnlyFans.

“If it’s not illegal, I’ve done it,” he said. “From working late nights freelance video editing to working at the Amazon factory, I’ve done it all. But it’s completely unsustainable. It impacts training too much. Doing OF was not my dream, it was a way to support the ultimate goal of going to the Olympics.”

He told CNN he has earned more than £100,000 ($135,000) from OnlyFans since joining the site in January. He acknowledged that some of the “edgy” content that is sent directly to subscribers is of himself in the nude.