Canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals has criticised the decision by his governing body, Paddle UK, to ban him for two years, as the OnlyFans creator insisted an “edgy” video he posted on Instagram was not explicit.
He told Sky News: “I think the outcome is very extreme. I’m only human. I make mistakes, but banning me for two years… I think it’s pretty wild.”
Mr Rozentals started posting revealing content of himself on OnlyFans – a subscription-based service that is known for hosting adult content – to raise money for his canoeing career.
During a previous Sky News interview in May, Mr Rozentals said he received £16,000 in funding from Paddle UK for his training, but this “is not anywhere near enough to be able to pursue elite sport”. He added he made more than six figures on OnlyFans.
In a statement on Saturday, Paddle UK – the national governing body – said “the athlete had intentionally misinformed the press that his suspension was related to his OnlyFans social media account”.
It added that he had “admitted posting an explicit video on their public Instagram profile which was subsequently removed given its explicit nature”. But Mr Rozentals insisted the video was not explicit, although it was “edgy”.
“It didn’t get removed by Instagram… it wasn’t explicit. It wasn’t anything that’s not suitable for Instagram.”
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But he accepts his OnlyFans material clashes with the image he thinks Paddle UK wants athletes to portray.
“In regards to the social media content, of course it’s not what they want their athletes to be ideally making… it’s obviously edgy content.
“I understand that image that they [Paddle UK] want athletes to portray. And it does not align with [the] image that Paddle UK is trying to cultivate of professionalism and whatnot.
“But also that doesn’t get views… that also doesn’t get that doesn’t drive attention… and that’s not going to drive sponsorships.”
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Paddle UK said the athlete had faced a disciplinary hearing which concluded “breaches of the Athlete Code of Conduct and Performance Athlete Agreement amounted to gross misconduct”.
The breaches were described as “deliberate actions or omissions that bring Paddle UK’s name into serious disrepute”, “indecent, offensive or immoral behaviour” and “offensive use of social media”.
Mr Rozentals was asked whether he would now have to choose between a career as a competitive canoeist or OnlyFans creator.
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“That’s tough because I grew up with no money. And I don’t care about money for money’s sake.
“However, now I’m blessed to be in a position where I can treat my mum, who sacrificed everything in her life to be able to give me the opportunities to chase this Olympic dream, and just being able to give back… that means more to me than getting a medal”.
And he vowed to continue competing in the sport: “One way or another, I’ll make it to the Olympics.”
Paddle UK’s statement added: “Paddle UK is committed to ensuring a safe and open environment for all, and action under the Athlete Disciplinary Policy is taken where necessary and proportionate.”
