Kurts Adams Rozentals: British canoeist ‘forced to choose between Olympics and OnlyFans’

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, who says he has earned more than £100,000 since creating his OnlyFans account, 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 a “neutral act designed to protect all parties” and to “safeguard other athletes, staff, and volunteers due to the nature of the allegation”.

The suspension was enabled via Paddle UK’s Athlete Disciplinary Policy, which 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”.