Canadian Olympic swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey claimed she was drugged during the World Championships in Budapest last month, leaving with mysterious injuries.
In an Instagram post, Harvey said the harrowing incident happened when she was celebrating securing a bronze medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay on June 25, the final night of a weeklong meet.
The 22-year-old swimmer said she was surrounded by friends in the Hungarian capital and was “being reasonable” with her partying in preparation for her next feat — the upcoming July 28 Commonwealth Games — when the night took a dark turn.
“But then, I don’t remember anything,” wrote Harvey, who didn’t say where she was at the time. “There’s this four-to-six-hour window where I can’t recall a single thing.”
The Olympian said she woke up the next morning “completely lost,” with her team manager and a doctor at her bedside. Harvey was told at a hospital that she was “lucky” to come out of the drugging with a concussion and a rib strain. She was also covered in a dozen bruises on her body, potentially sustained from friends carrying her unconscious body, she speculated.
Harvey was left with psychological scars as well — the swimmer describes feeling intense shame and fear, and that her body no longer belongs to her. She recalls her mother telling her she seemed “different” the day she returned home from Budapest, an observation Harvey agreed with.
“I’m still scared to think about the unknowns of that night,” Harvey lamented. “I’m still trying to find the ‘happy Mary’ that found happiness prior to this event.”
The swimmer said she debated whether to publicly announce the drugging, but opted to be “transparent” with her followers in the face of skyrocketing drink-spiking incidents throughout the world. Harvey shared screenshots of news articles detailing the rise in Berlin, Boston Manchester and others.
“I won’t let this event define me,” Harvey declared. “I’m still learning to cope with everything and find myself again.”
FINA, the international federation for the sport, said in a statement it was “deeply concerned” about Harvey’s well-being. The governing body is assigning an Independent Investigation Officer to the case.
