Olympic Bobsled Champion Lisa Buckwitz Turns to OnlyFans to Fund 2026 Winter Games Dream
For former Olympic bobsledding champion Lisa Buckwitz, the challenges extend far beyond navigating an icy track at speeds exceeding 150 kilometres per hour. The German athlete, who clinched gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, is now confronting the financial realities of elite sport as she prepares for the 2026 Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy.
A New Platform for Olympic Funding
The 31-year-old champion has turned to the online subscription platform OnlyFans to help finance her Olympic dream. Since late 2024, Buckwitz has been utilizing the platform to raise crucial funds, with her sights set on adding another gold medal to her collection next month in Italy.
With training costs, competition expenses, equipment, and staff payments continually rising, the income from traditional sponsorships alone proved insufficient for Buckwitz to sustain her athletic career. This financial gap prompted her innovative approach to funding.
"It Allows Me to Finance My Team"
In an interview with German outlet Bild, Buckwitz explained her decision, calling it "a stroke of luck" that enables her to support her team financially. "It's the best thing that could have happened to me," she stated, while also expressing disappointment that bobsleigh competition earnings aren't adequate for athletes to focus solely on their sport.
"It's a bit sad that I can't just focus on my competitive sport," Buckwitz told the publication. "Sure, I'm an Olympic champion. But nobody's interested in Lisa Buckwitz just because of the gold medal. That's unfortunately the downside."
Content Strategy and Personal Connection
While Buckwitz previously posed nude for Playboy Germany's cover ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, she has clarified that her OnlyFans content won't include X-rated material. Instead, she views the platform as an opportunity to provide fans with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to her athletic journey.
"For me, it's a real opportunity to show people what it means to compete at the highest level in this sport — beyond the competitive moments," Buckwitz explained to Bild. "This platform allows me to connect with my fans on a personal level and to network with people who are genuinely interested in competitive sport and my path in it."
Her content strategy includes sharing fitness and nutrition tips, competition preparation insights, team dynamics, personal milestones, and the daily routines that help her maintain focus on competition days.
Road to Milano-Cortina
Buckwitz has successfully qualified for next month's Winter Games, where she will compete in two bobsledding disciplines: the monobob and the two-person bobsled alongside teammate Neele Schuten. This will mark her third Olympic appearance, following her gold medal performance in 2018 and her fourth-place finish in the two-person bobsled at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The athlete's innovative funding approach highlights the ongoing financial challenges faced by Olympic athletes, particularly in less commercially prominent sports like bobsledding. By leveraging digital platforms, Buckwitz is finding new ways to sustain her athletic career while maintaining her competitive edge on the world stage.
