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Canada’s Mary-Sophie Harvey says she was drugged at world championships

Canadian swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey says she was drugged on the final day of the world aquatics championships and suffered a rib sprain and a concussion.

Harvey said in an Instagram post that there is a four-to-six hour window where she has no recollection of what happened, and that she remembers waking up with the Canadian team manager and doctor by her bedside.

She also posted photos of bruises on her body.

Montreal’s Harvey competed in the women’s 200-metre individual medley at the world championships in Budapest, Hungary, finishing eighth.

She also earned a bronze medal in the women 4x200-metre freestyle relay after swimming in the preliminaries.

“We are aware there was an incident the night before departure from Budapest,” Swimming Canada spokesman Nathan White said in an e-mail to The Canadian Press. “As soon as team staff became aware, Mary received excellent medical treatment from our team physician on site, and was cleared to travel home.

“Staff have been in contact with Mary since her return and we are offering her support. We continue to gather information on the situation, and the file has been forwarded to our independent Safe Sport officer.”

Harvey said she debated on whether to write her post, but said “these situations sadly happen too many times for me to stay silent.”

“I’m still scared to think about the unknowns of that night,” she wrote. “I’m still in a way, ashamed of what happened, and I think I always will be. … But I won’t let this event define me.”

Harvey, 22, competed for Canada in last year’s Tokyo Olympics. She’s scheduled to swim in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

FINA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Harvey’s Instagram post details what she remembers.

“On the last night of the World Championships, I got drugged,” she says.

“At the time I wasn’t aware of what got inside of me, I just remember waking up the next morning completely lost; with our team manager and doctor at my bedside. I remember celebrating my competition while also being reasonable and aware of my next objective, which is Commonwealth Games. But then, I don’t remember anything. There’s this four-to-six-hour window where I can’t recall a single thing. I’ve heard bits and pieces by people and I’ve experienced judgment too.

“The only thing I can say is this: I’ve never felt more ashamed.

“The next day, I travelled back home and had dinner with my family. I remember my mom saying: ‘you seem different.’ Little did she know, I felt that way too. It felt like the body I was in, wasn’t mine [it still feels this way]. I got home and found a dozen bruises on my body. Some of my friends told me afterwards that they had to carry me while I was unconscious and it probably explained why.

“It didn’t make me feel any better. … I ended up going to the hospital, where I was met with doctors and psychologists. They tested and treated me the best way they could. … I was lucky in a way, to get out of this with a rib sprain and a small concussion.

“It did help me cure some of the fears I had but sadly not all of them.

“Sadly, these events happen more than we think it does. There’s been a dangerous increasing number of cases reported throughout the years but it is still not being talked about enough. The resources for victims are still difficult to find and the judgment from outsiders are still very much present. To anyone reading this, please be careful. I thought I was safe, that it would never happen to me, especially while being surrounded by friends. But it did … and I wish someone and educated me on the matter prior to that night.

“I’m still scared to think about the unknowns of that night.

“I’m still trying to find the ‘happy Mary’ that found happiness prior to this event.”

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2022-07-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-07T07:00:00.0000000Z

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