“I’ve been thinking for a long time whether to post something or not. But these things happen too often for me to remain silent. ‘ The succession of smiling photographs on her Instagram feed ends with this text, surrounded by a drawing with dried flowers, the kind that are created and forgotten in the pages of books, and a word “drug addict”. Mary-Sophie Harvey, Canadian swimmer, shared with those who follow her on social media, the fear and pain of the last night spent in Budapest after the World Swimming Championships. She said she was drugged, probably with something in a drink. «I remember we were celebrating my race, then nothing more. I have a vacuum of four to six hours ».
Harvey is 22 years old, in Budapest he won a bronze in the relay (4×200). At the poolside she smiles, writes words of thanks for her coach. It is the social story of a young athlete who immortalizes the beautiful moments in her life. Then that happiness stops. The last night before leaving there is only darkness. “I have never been so ashamed,” writes the swimmer who then continues her story accompanied by photographs of the bruises on her legs. Dozens of marks all over the body. «The next day I went home, I was having dinner with my family. I remember my mom telling me “You look different”. And I had the feeling that my body wasn’t mine. And it continues to be like that ». The reconstruction of that night begins for her. Recommended by a friend and her doctor mother, she went to the hospital. “They tested me and treated me in the best possible way – his words on Instagram – Doctors told me that it happens more often than we think, and that in a way I was lucky to come out with a cracked rib and a small one. concussion”. Her meeting with the psychologist in the hospital helped her “to cure some of the fears I had, but unfortunately not all of them.”
His is also an appeal. “The resources to help the victims are hard to find, and the judgment from others is still very strong. To anyone who reads this post I tell you to be careful. I thought I was safe, that it would never happen to me but it did. “
The world swimming organization, Fina, has announced that it has launched an investigation. «We are in contact with the Canadian federation and the local organizing committee – reads a note -. In 2021, Fina adopted widespread measures aimed at safeguarding the athletes and an independent investigative officer was assigned to investigate the issue ».