Diego Balleza, a world champion diver who represented Mexico in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, has found himself in a bit of a financial bind in the midst of a dispute between World Aquatics and the head of the country’s sports commission, Ana Guevara, and has turned to OnlyFans for help.
Mexican athletes have felt the reverberation of the dispute. World Athletics suspended Mexican federation president Kiril Todorov and appointed a commission to take charge while new elections were held. Aquatics athletes have since stopped receiving monthly payments.
Todorov was suspended after it was determined the Mexican Swimming Federation failed to comply with the governing body’s good governance standards. Guevara, however, failed to recognize the commission even as the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed the change.
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Diego Balleza in action during the FINA Diving Grand Prix on Nov. 17, 2019, in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (How Foo Yeen/Getty Images)
As Guevara cut the allowance to all aquatics athletes, competitors like Balleza have had to find a new source of income to help pay for training and other expenses.
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“It occurred to me to open it because you are always looking for a way to make income. I support my house and my mother, and I have bills to pay, and you can upload whatever you want in there,” Balleza told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I am happy that the people who are in my page have been very good and respectful, I hope they continue like this.”
The 28-year-old, who finished fourth in synchronized diving on the 10-meter platform, charges a monthly fee of $15 to access his content as well as quarterly packages for $40.50. So far, He had uploaded 136 images, 26 videos and had more than 14,000 interactions with fans.
He hopes to replace the more than $1,700 he received as a government scholarship.
Diego Balleza, a 10-meter Olympic diver, trains in Monterrey, Mexico, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Mendoza)
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“The money I now receive (from OnlyFans) is very volatile, but it has served me well so far,” Balleza said, adding that the government of the state of Nuevo Leon supported him and he’s also received money from the private sector.
Balleza is hoping he will be able to do enough to earn a spot on the team for Paris in 2024. He won two gold medals at the Summer Universiade in Napoli in 2019 and a bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju.
He and his 10-meter partner Kevin Berlin are set to compete together in the world championships in Japan in July. World Aquatics provided them with plane tickets but fellow Mexican diver Jonathan Paredes had to request help on Twitter to get a ticket. Aeromexico came through for Paredes.
Diego Balleza in Monterrey, Mexico, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Jorge Mendoza)
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“This situation is a bit tedious because in the end you are not 100% focused on what you have to do,” Balleza said. “But nothing is impossible, we already have flights and logistics for the world championships. Now we have to train hard and go get those Olympic spots.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
