"Even Gold Medalists Are No Exception"...Olympic Athletes Turn to Adult Platforms to Raise Training Funds

German Winter Sports National Athletes, Including Buckwitz
Turn to Adult Platforms and Social Media to Raise Training Funds

With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics approaching, some German national athletes in less popular sports are turning to adult content platforms to raise funds for their training.

Instagram capture of Liza Bukwitz

On January 26 (local time), German news agency dpa reported that athletes who find it difficult to cover their Olympic preparation costs with existing sponsorships and grants alone are generating income through online adult-only content activities.

Liza Buckwitz, a gold medalist in women's bobsleigh at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and the 2024 World Championships winner, recently opened an account on the adult subscription platform OnlyFans. OnlyFans is a platform where users upload photos and videos to attract paid subscribers and generate revenue. Due to the abundance of highly revealing videos, it is effectively considered an adults-only site.

Buckwitz charges a monthly subscription fee of $24.99 (about 36,000 won), offering subscribers videos of herself training in sports bras, bikinis, or tight bobsleigh suits. However, she drew a clear line, stating, "I will never appear nude."

The team led by Buckwitz is ranked fourth in the world in the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) women's two-person event, but their financial situation is far from sufficient. She revealed, "It takes about 50,000 euros (about 86 million won) just to run the team for one season," adding, "The sad reality for less popular sports is that being a gold medalist alone does not attract sponsors."

Georg Fleischhauer, a brakeman for the German men's bobsleigh team, is also sharing training routines and muscle management content through OnlyFans. He explained, "I am not a porn star. I am simply showing the life of an elite athlete through OnlyFans. Of course, that means showing my body and muscles as well."

Georg Fleischhauer (left). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Athletes making various attempts to raise training funds are not limited to the bobsleigh discipline. Six German speed skating athletes produced and sold a nude calendar this year, as they did last year, to raise money for team operations.

Figure skating pair Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel run a TikTok account with more than 140,000 followers, using content revenue to cover their training expenses. Alpine skier Franjo von Allmen continued his athletic career through crowdfunding in the past and has now emerged as a gold medal contender at this event.

dpa reported, "Only a few sports, such as biathlon, have a stable sponsorship structure," and noted, "Many winter sports athletes are finding it difficult to continue Olympic preparations with only the support of the German Sports Aid Foundation."