British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals banned for ‘explicit’ social media post
“And while I understand the video could be described as crazy, it was not illegal and certainly should not be the reason for an athlete to be banned.”
Rozentals said the most recent funding it received from Paddle UK was £16,000 per year.
But he claimed he earned more than £100,000 from his social media videos between January and May.
Paddle UK said the decision was taken by a disciplinary panel following an independent investigation and hearing involving Rozentals.
The governing body said Rozentals “admitted to posting an obscene video on her public Instagram profiles, which was later removed due to its sexually suggestive nature.”
He said this was a breach of its disciplinary policy regarding “inappropriate, offensive or indecent behaviour” and “offensive use of social media”.
Rozentals had previously told the media that he did not know the reason for the restraining order, but suspected it was linked to his account on the OnlyFans subscription website, which is known for containing adult content.
The panel found that Rozentals “deliberately misinformed the press” in this regard.
Asked if he regretted the video, Rozentals told BBC Sport: “Looking back now I probably wouldn’t have posted something like that. But I remember the mood I was in when I made the video and posted it. For the first time in my life I saw real improvement in my financial situation. This was the first time I was able to finance education myself.”
“This was the first time I was able to buy something nice for my mom, who sacrificed everything to let me follow my dreams. And it came from crazy videos like the one that banned me.
“I saw a direct correlation between me making these kinds of videos and my life situation improving. So I was in a state of mind where I knew the only thing I had to do to keep doing this was to keep making videos like this. It’s a crazy world we live in. I don’t regret it.”
In a statement, Paddle UK said it was “committed to providing a safe and open environment for everyone and will take action under our athlete disciplinary policy where necessary and proportionate.”
