Comes out as a victim of violence – “I’ve never been so ashamed”
Canadian swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey drugged at Worlds
The Canadian swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey leaves open whether someone violated her. In an Instagram post, she leaves no doubt that she was drugged against her will at the swimming world championships in Budapest and became a victim of violence.
Published: 07/08/2022 at 00:23
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Updated: 07/08/2022 at 00:53
Canadian top swimmer Mary-Sophie Harvey, 22, says she was drugged at the World Championships in Budapest. She had a complete blackout for up to six hours. ‘I can’t remember anything. There’s that four to six hour window where I can’t remember anything. I’ve never been so ashamed.” The athlete suggests that she became a victim of violence.
She suffered bruises, a concussion and abrasions, Harvey explains in an Instagram post she published on Thursday, a few days after the end of the swimming world championships. The incident happened on the last night of the World Cup.
The team, friends and doctors took care of her immediately. But she has not been the same person since then. Now she has to talk about the dark incident. “I’m still scared to think about the unknown that happened that night. I’m still ashamed of what happened.”
“Occurs more often than we think”
Harvey doesn’t say exactly what happened. And yet she leaves no doubt that she was a victim of violence. The young woman says as much: “Unfortunately, these situations happen far too often.” She went to the hospital and was examined and treated by doctors and psychologists. “They told me that this happens more often than you think and that I was kind of lucky: I got away with a sprained rib and a minor concussion.”
“Unfortunately, such incidents are more common than we think,” writes Harvey. “The number of reported cases has increased dangerously in recent years, but it’s still not being talked about enough.”
Now she has to find herself again. “I’m still trying to find the ‘happy Mary’ who was finding happiness before this incident. But I will not let this incident define me.” Harvey thanks all the people “who helped me when I was vulnerable”. (kes)