This still does not address the incompetency of Equifax and the fact that this was avoidable. A House report at that time discovered that the breach was preventable and that Equifax neglected to address their known security leak and patch it. China is a good excuse.
This is obviously a valid concern, and it also raises a civil liberty issue. However, would it be possible to deposit their earnings into a safe interest earning account such as T-Bills? The athletes receive their compensation after graduating, securing a good launch point.