Paralympian funds LA 2028 bid with OnlyFans sponsorship

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Catarina Guimaraes, a US Paralympic athlete managing medical and living expenses while training for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, has accepted an unconventional sponsorship deal to post strictly non-explicit content on OnlyFans (Getty Images) Getty Images

Despite turning down a single $15,000 proposal for a private video call, the Team USA athlete says her $10-a-month profile features only gym workouts (Getty Images) Getty Images

Guimaraes (right) represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, placing eighth in the long jump at Stade de France (Getty Images for USOPC) Getty Images for USOPC

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Catarina Guimaraes, a 22-year-old Paralympic athlete from Cranford, New Jersey, has signed a $25,000-a-year sponsorship with OnlyFans to make ends meet until the 2028 Los Angeles Games. She has cerebral palsy, a condition she describes as "having bad WiFi in your brain," and training toward a Paralympic medal does not cover the costs that come with it.

The deal, reported by NJ.com, makes her part of OnlyFans Sports, the non-explicit tier the platform is pushing as it works on its reputation. A company spokesperson said OnlyFans "loves working with athlete creators who are excited about using the platform to connect with their audience while building a new revenue stream." Guimaraes posts gym routines, behind-the-scenes training clips, personal updates and videos of herself singing Broadway songs. Her subscription costs ten dollars a month, and the raciest post on her page, by her own account, is a video of power cleans in a sports bra and shorts.

The publicity brought offers of a different kind. One reached $15,000 — for a single private video call with adult content. Her teammates told her to take it. "Nooooo, that is not what I'm about," she said, adding that she had not realised people would pay that much for such content. She has refused to post anything explicit.

The arithmetic explains the teammates. One declined call was worth more than half of the annual sponsorship meant to carry her to Los Angeles. OnlyFans, for its part, offered to pay her for posts on its platform and her own channels, to bring what she calls a more wholesome view of the page. The income goes toward the medical and living expenses of an athlete managing a condition she describes as "a constant fight to keep everything in sync."

The idea behind the deal, her father John told NJ.com, is to reduce her financial strain. Her page costs ten dollars a month; the call she declined was priced at fifteen thousand.