Copyright dailystar
British canoeist Kurts Adams Rozentals, 23 , has been hit with a two-year ban from his sport after posting an explicit video of himself performing a "sexual act" on a plane. The Team GB hopeful shared the controversial footage on his Instagram account in March this year. The disciplinary panel, following an independent investigation and hearing, told the athlete, who boasts 109,000 followers on Instagram, that his behaviour not only brought the sport into "serious disrepute," but also constituted gross misconduct. In addition to being barred from competition and training, Rozentals' spot on the World Class Programme - a lottery-funded scheme supporting Team GB athletes aiming for the 2028 and 2032 Olympics - was revoked. Rozentals, who felt the suspension was "very extreme" argued that the video's posting didn't justify a ban. The governing body for canoeing, kayaking, and other paddlesports in the UK, Paddle UK, organised the ban. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "This ban would have never happened if athletes were funded properly. And 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 revealed that his recent funding from Paddle UK totalled £16,000 per year, but claimed to have raked in over a staggering £100,000 through a subscription-based social media platform between January and May. The governing body revealed that the canoeist had "admitted posting an explicit video on their public Instagram profile which was subsequently removed given its explicit nature." Officials informed him that his social media post violated their disciplinary policy concerning "indecent, offensive or immoral behaviour" and "offensive use of social media." When questioned about whether he felt remorse for the video after receiving the two-year suspension, he responded to BBC Sport: "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. "It was the first time I was able to get my mum something nice after her sacrificing everything in order to allow me to chase my dream. And it came from crazy videos like the one that got me banned. "I saw a direct correlation of me making those type of videos and my life situation improving. So, I was in this state of mind where I knew that all I have to do to continue this, is keep making videos like this. It's a crazy world we live in. I don't regret it." Paddle UK issued a statement declaring it is "committed to ensuring a safe and open environment for all, and action under the athlete disciplinary policy is taken where necessary and proportionate." Rozentals has been on OnlyFans since 10th January, with his profile description stating: "Well this wasn't on my 2025 list, but here we f****** go! ! ! no filters. no limits. just me."
