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Canoeing-British canoeist banned two years for posting explicit Instagram video
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals receives a two-year ban for posting an explicit Instagram video, affecting his Olympic aspirations.
(Reuters) -British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals has been handed a two-year suspension and kicked out of the Olympic programme after posting an explicit video on Instagram and misleading the press about the reasons for his initial ban, Paddle UK announced.
The canoe slalom athlete, who was part of Paddle UK's World Class Programme for Olympic hopefuls, was initially suspended in April by the governing body and has now been de-selected from the elite programme entirely.
Rozentals, a 23-year-old canoe slalom athlete, had said he began using OnlyFans -- a subscription-based service that allows users to monetise content, some of it adult in nature -- to post 'spicy' material to fund his Olympic dream.
However, a disciplinary panel found that he admitted posting an explicit video on Instagram which was "subsequently removed given its explicit nature".
"The athlete had intentionally misinformed the press that his suspension was related to his OnlyFans social media account," Paddle UK said in a statement.
The governing body said his actions amounted to gross misconduct and brought Paddle UK's name into "serious disrepute".
'VERY EXTREME' PUNISHMENT
Although Paddle UK did not name the athlete, Rozentals confirmed the "very extreme" punishment with BBC Sport and said the ban would never have happened if athletes were funded properly.
Under Paddle UK's World Class Programme, Rozentals received 16,000 pounds ($21,473.60) in funding for his training but he said it did not allow him to be a full-time athlete.
"While I understand the video could be described as crazy, it was not illegal and certainly shouldn't be the reason for banning an athlete," he said.
"Looking back now, I probably wouldn't post something like that. But I remember the state of mind I was in when I did film it and post it.
"It was the first time in my life I saw real progress in my financial situation. It was the first time I was able to fund the training myself."
($1 = 0.7451 pounds)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)
A suspension in sports is a penalty that temporarily prevents an athlete from participating in competitions or events due to violations of rules or regulations.
Gross misconduct refers to serious violations of workplace rules or conduct that can lead to immediate dismissal or severe penalties for an employee or athlete.
Paddle UK is the governing body for canoeing in the United Kingdom, responsible for promoting the sport and overseeing competitions and athlete development.
OnlyFans is a subscription-based social media platform that allows creators to monetize content, including adult material, by charging subscribers for access.
The Olympic programme refers to the structured training and support system provided to athletes aiming to compete in the Olympic Games, often including funding and coaching.
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