Poland’s anti-doping agency (POLADA) said on Wednesday it was the victim of a cyberattack that led to false details of positive test results for some athletes being leaked.
Many of Poland’s best-known athletes were named on the so-called leak list, including tennis world number one Iga Swiatek and Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski, who has been with the club for more than a decade Has always been one of Europe’s leading footballers.
The alleged leaks were later shared on social media and described by POLADA as “fake.”
The agency issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a since-deleted tweet outlining the allegations: “The information provided about Polish athletes in this post is false.
“The purpose of all these posts is to discredit Polish athletes who do not deserve this because they competed cleanly. None of the (sic) athletes tested positive and none of the dates presented were (sic) sic) matched the doping control conducted.
The information provided in this article about Polish athletes is false. The purpose of all these posts is to discredit Polish athletes because they were innocent during the competition and therefore they do not deserve such an honor. None of these athletes tested positive and the dates provided did not match the doping tests conducted.
— Polish Anti-Doping Agency (@POLADA_official) August 14, 2024
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the leading authority on doping in tennis, said Competitor Their records contained no evidence that Swiatek made any adverse findings.
The agency’s records include the period when Swiatek was accused of testing positive, even though anti-doping at the time fell under the purview of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
In a subsequent tweet, POLADA wrote: “Regarding the hack, we inform you that cybercriminals use the data for a variety of purposes, including widely understood disinformation.
“Fake news stories smearing Polish athletes have appeared in the public domain. Please do not repeat them.
“None of the listed athletes will have a positive result and any terms proposed are inconsistent with anti-doping control measures.”
— Polish Anti-Doping Agency (@POLADA_official) August 14, 2024
The Swiatek camp referred to POLADA’s statement when contacted for comment.
POLADA is the Polish National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) recognized by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
WADA coordinates anti-doping rules and policies across all sports, including tennis and football.
CNN has also reached out to Lewandowski’s representatives for comment.
(Dimita Dilkov/AFP via Getty Images)
