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'Fake' anti-doping test results leaked after Polish agency targeted by cyber attack

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'Fake' anti-doping test results leaked after Polish agency targeted by cyber attack

The Polish anti-doping agency (POLADA) said on Wednesday that it was the victim of a cyber attack that led to false details of positive tests from a number of athletes being leaked.

Many of Poland’s most high-profile athletes were listed in the supposed leaks, including tennis world No 1 Iga Swiatek and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, who has been one of Europe’s leading footballers for more than a decade.

The supposed leaks were then shared on social media before being described as “fake” by POLADA.

A statement from the agency on X, formerly Twitter, in response to a since deleted tweet outlining the allegations read: “Info presented in this post about Polish athletes is a fake.

“All of these posts are aimed to discredit Polish athletes, who don’t deserve that cause (sic) they compete clean. Non (sic) of this (sic) athletes was positive and non (sic) of presented dates is matching doping controls which were conducted.”

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The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), the authority that deals with doping in tennis, has told The Athletic that their records have no evidence of any adverse findings for Swiatek.

The agency’s records includes the period Swiatek was alleged to have tested positive, even though at that time anti-doping fell under the remit of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

In a subsequent tweet, POLADA wrote: “In connection with the hacking attack we inform you, that data is used by cyber criminals for various purposes, including widely understood disinformation.

“In the public domain fake news discrediting Polish athletes has appeared. Please do not duplicate them.

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“None of the listed athletes will have a positive result and none of the terms presented correspond to conducted anti-doping controls.”

The Swiatek camp referred to POLADA’s statements when contacted for comment.

POLADA is the national anti-doping organisation (NADO) recognised by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for Poland.

WADA is responsible for coordinating anti-doping rules and policies across all sports, including tennis and football.

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Lewandowski’s representatives have also been contacted for comment.

(Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

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Do You Recognize These Past Winners of the National Book Award?

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Do You Recognize These Past Winners of the National Book Award?

Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s regular quiz about books, authors and literary culture. In honor of the National Book Awards presented by the National Book Association on Nov. 19, this week’s challenge celebrates winners from the past 20 years and asks you to identify a title by a short description of the work. In the five multiple-choice questions below, tap or click on the answer you think is correct. After the last question, you’ll find links to the books if you’d like to do further reading.

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Video: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

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Video: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

new video loaded: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

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‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize

David Szalay became the first British Hungarian to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh.”

“I think fiction can take risks. I think it’s one of the things that it can do. It can take aesthetic risks, formal risks, perhaps even moral risks, which many other forms, narrative forms, can’t quite do to the same extent.” “I think all six of the books in the short list really, you know, not — it’s not saying this is the headline theme, but there is that theme of reaching out, wanting a connection.”

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David Szalay became the first British Hungarian to win the prestigious Booker Prize for his novel “Flesh.”

By Shawn Paik

November 11, 2025

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Test Yourself on the Settings Mentioned in These Novels About Road Trips

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Test Yourself on the Settings Mentioned in These Novels About Road Trips

A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz highlights the starting points or destinations of five novels about road trips. (Even if you aren’t familiar with the book, most questions offer an additional hint about the location.) To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. At the end of the quiz, you’ll find links to the books if you’d like to do further reading.

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