The Polish anti-doping agency (POLADA) announced on Wednesday that it had been targeted in a cyber attack. This attack resulted in false information about positive tests from a group of athletes being leaked.
Among the athletes listed in these leaks were prominent names such as tennis world No 1 Iga Swiatek and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. Both athletes have a long history of success in their respective sports.
The leaked information quickly spread on social media before POLADA confirmed that it was fake. In response to a now-deleted tweet making accusations, POLADA stated on X, previously known as Twitter:
“Info presented in this post about Polish athletes is a fake. All of these posts are aimed to discredit Polish athletes, who compete clean. None of these athletes tested positive and the presented dates do not match any doping controls.”
Info presented in this post about Polish athletes is a fake. All of these posts are aimed to discredit Polish athletes, who compete clean. None of these athletes was positive and none of the presented dates is matching doping controls which were conducted.
— Polska Agencja Antydopingowa (@POLADA_official) August 14, 2024
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed that there were no adverse findings for Swiatek in their records. The period in question falls under the jurisdiction of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
POLADA later tweeted, “In connection with the hacking attack we inform you that data is being used by cyber criminals for various purposes, including disinformation. Please do not spread fake news that discredits Polish athletes.”
— Polska Agencja Antydopingowa (@POLADA_official) August 14, 2024
Swiatek’s representatives referred to POLADA’s statements when approached for comment. POLADA is the national anti-doping organisation recognised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for Poland.
WADA oversees anti-doping regulations in all sports, including tennis and football. Representatives for Lewandowski have also been contacted for comment.
(Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)