Below is a statement from the Hungarian Swimming Association in connection with the article titled, “Are Katinka Hosszu’s performances being aided?”
The Hungarian Swimming Association has read with the utmost dismay the outrageous commentary published in your online platform, defaming Katinka Hosszu, one of the most appreciated members by the world’s swimming community (seems not by the Swimming World), without any evidence proving the points of the author.
As it is well-known for all credible members of the international press, Katinka Hosszu has been obliged to take part in a handful of doping tests (just as all other top athletes), carried out by WADA and local agencies in recent years, both in- and out-of-competition. She has passed them all.
With regards this fact, we cannot understand why such a prestigious media platform finds it necessary to give floor for these humiliating accusations (speculations). This is absolutely not in line with the approach we have experienced in the past from Swimming World which ensured international recognition for your website and magazine.
As the President of the Hungarian Swimming Association, I hereby declare that we would never question any achievement by any great swimmers, let alone from the United States, even if many of them often seem to be superhuman – still, all admired by us, forever.
Tamas Gyarfas
President of the Hungarian Swimming Association
Publisher’s Note: As an independent media outlet dedicated to aquatic sports with no financial ties to national and international governing bodies, Swimming World has always been on the forefront of professional reporting and anti-doping measures. We have reported Katinka Hosszu’s many successes through the years and we will continue to track her progress in the months and years to come. By publishing the Hungarian Swimming Association statement above, Swimming World does not admit that the article was an act of defamation but merely observations reported by an experienced writer immersed in the painful lessons from the DDR era. We all can strive to do better for the sport. – Brent Rutemiller
Brent –
SW went too far allowing this article to be printed.
What the journalist should have done is to keep their opinion to themselves, investigate it carefully, and then if some sort of proof was found (i.e., It doesn’t have to be definitive proof, but enough to raise questions. High-levels of performance alone is not enough to point the finger.), then publish an article regarding the “sentiment” around the people within swimming that swim with Hosszu WITH the proof and questions that would merit the publication of said article. If you don’t investigate but publish sentiment, or whatever everybody is talking about, you’re just as gossipy as the following story:
“An old proverb tells the story of a person who repeated a rumor about a neighbor. Soon, the whole community had heard the rumor. Later, the person who spread the gossip learned that the rumor was untrue. He was very sorry and went to an elder in the community who had a reputation for great wisdom to seek advice. The elder told him, “Go to your home and take a feather pillow outside. Rip it open and scatter the feathers, then return to me tomorrow.” The man did as the elder had instructed.
The following day, he visited the elder. The elder said, “Go collect the feathers you scattered yesterday and bring them back to me.” The man went home and searched for the feathers, but the wind had carried them all away. Returning to the elder, he admitted, “I could find none of the feathers I scattered yesterday.” “You see,” said the elder, “it‘s easy to scatter the feathers but impossible to get them back.” So it is with gossip; it doesn’t take much to spread hurtful words, but once you do, you can never completely undo the damage.”
The article written, to which the above Hungarian statement responds to, looks and feels like a HIT JOB. It’s the lowest form of journalism regardless of whether what it claims is true or not.
Very well said, Sir!
Bad article. Bad opinion. The author is a leftist. My opinion that he is a leftist is supported by having read articles on his blog. His opinion’s are not supported. I am done with reading Swimmingworldmagazine’s website.
I was disappointed in the opinion piece about Hosszu. It seemed out of place here. Sorry, Casey, but you’re no Phil Whitten.
Vile slanderers! Envious great representative of a small country. Shame themselves.
Perhaps the problem is that there is a 10 million central european country, but the world is not only in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Look for that when you became olympic champion Alfréd Hajós. Since then we have continuously Hungarian Olympic Champion in swimming.
Maybe the big cyclist Armstrong also east German was?
Michael Phelps won 8 golds during one Olympic Games. He broke his own virtually unapproachable world record in the 400m medley by more than 1.5 seconds.
Suspicious? Where is the article that questions if his results were ‘unaided’?
Katinka has won nowhere near as many medals, holds no world records in long course events, her times never seemed ‘miraculous’, yet your so called experienced writer thinks she is suspicious?
Does the fact that she is not American have anything to do with it? Shame on you!
Author is trying to apply psychological pressure on Katinka Hosszú. Oh, how desperate he must be…. Last resort, to catch a strong player mentally, huh?
However Katinka is strong enough mentally (as well) !!!
Keep on the good work Katinka!!!!!
I’m appalled by this story.
You just don’t publish slander like this and then pose with your commitment to anti-doping as if that warranted publishing such unsubstantiated accusations in the first place.
The editors owe a written an apology to Katina, at the very least.
“Reported by an experienced writer” – mysterious reference to an anonymous source? Defending the Editor: he might have not met yet the attitude so characteristic to Hungarian that even a joke has been written about it.
Lucifer decides to inspect the Hell, and the first stations is the Russian sector. Many condemned souls are sitting in a large bowl, slowly boiling over the fire, and an armed guard is watching, so none of the souls attempt to escape. Lucifer nods, and carries on.
He find the same scenario at the next stations, but no guard present. He inquiries the supervisor about the absence of the guard, who just points to a sign saying ‘FLUCHT IS VERBOTEN’. You know – he adds -, German souls obey the rules. “Escape is forbidden.”
The last station is similar to the previous one. Lucifer asks the supervisor again about the absence of the guard, when he replied: These are Hungarians. Should any of them attempt to escape, the others just pull him back.
Well said – and we Americans vehemently defend our right to live with illusion. There is no bowl! We are not in hell!
ez hogy jon ide?
I also believe that swimming world should openly apologize for publishing the article. Until there is real proof or clear evidence of cheating nothing should be spread out like this.
The article should not have been published without an firm proof of any wrongdoing.
The article will not only draw unwanted attention to the swimmer in question but to their team mates and to anyone who breaks any sort of record in the coming weeks & months.
All sport has been blighted with substance abuse in recent years and I believe that there is sufficient testings in place to catch any cheats.
I would not like to see a return to the bad old days where an outstanding performance by an athlete was instantly put down to substance abuse.
I am in favour of exposing cheats when the facts are known but I see no point in spectulation and rumours.
A full apology should be made to the swimmer, their team mates and the country’s governing body. An assurance should also be given to the readers of, usually, a very fine website that articles of this nature should only be published if all the facts are known.
Phelps has been cited here… he has already been suspended for illegal drug use. That’s evidence.
Katinka Hosszu has never had a positive drug test nor any positive doping test.
She’s good because of her talent and the extremely hard work she is investing in being better day by day.
The author and the magazine owes her a sincere apology.
Lance Armstrong never tested positive either. Just because she hasn’t doesn’t mean she hasn’t used PED’s.
It is an “opinion” piece and the author is absolutely entitled to write every bit of it.
This is a professional sport and every top performed in it is open for scrutiny.
It is the nature of the game. If you have an issue with it, stop following this platform. Or even better start watching more disney movies because it is clear you live in a fairy tale.
Designer drugs and genetic doping are far more common place in sport than anyone cares to believe
Victor Conte proved that steroid designers are years ahead of any drug testing agencies..
Lance: you are the same idiot as the writer ( i would rather not use the word author for the creator of the article). Just because any of the American or other nations’ WCs or top athlete have not been tested positive it DOES mean they do it too, right? (following your twisted logic) …so where are those articles insinuating those people too???
the problem is not posting a personal opinion on a blog, but to re-post it on an international news feed and give publicity for it without any evidence. It is just a poorly explained accusation not even following a logical stream of thought.
The problem is that there was no any real background work done before it was created and published; it seems to be fed by the person’s jealousy and inability to complete just a bit of it as that swimmer has done already.
..and I have to say its stands for your “statements” as well. Just to copy and paste a sentence from somewhere else does not prove anything or confirm any of those ridiculous presumptions.
Yes, a professional journalist has the right to write his opinion but He/She would never be that silly to do it based on a sudden morning feeling or idea without any further info digging. Putting random information PIECES together and then drawing a conclusion that is nothing to do with the facts is everything but journalism.
I am sure if it happens with an American top athlete the “author” would have been charged already with false accusation…waiting for his court hearing (or whatever you call it) to face with the iron hand of US justice.
Shame on you brent rutemiller. So it was ” merely observations reported by an experienced writer”, huh? My observation is you are partial, sir. When US wins gold medals on any race – that’s crystal clear proof of hard work, when a small European country does the same – you call for a witch hunt. Congratulation!
By the way SW Swimming World – it say “THE MOST TRUSTED SOURCE FOR NEWS, TRAINING, TECHNIQUE AND LIFE STYLE” in their header.
Does anyone feel any contradiction about this?
It was shocking to read this article in Swimming World. If it would be some low-reputation newspaper, it could be more understandable…
But SW, which has this much weight… They just went too far for publishing such outrageously slanderous piece whitout any little evidence.
It’s not surprising that her home country’s swimming federation was offended! I’m actually surprised, that how polite they were in their response.
SW, you should be ashamed!
Dear Brent Rutemiller!
Would you have published the article if the person in question was Michael Phelps? Don’t answer, I know the answer!
Kim
Your article is a disgrace, your magazine lowered itself to a tabloid level. I recommend seppuku to save your face.
Katinka is the best! This page got only benefit from this disgraceful article due to high number of visitors and commenters. the publisher’s note is a bulls**t. You should apologise for Katinka due she was the best woman swimmer in the last 2 years. She and her team invested a lot to new training technique and attending plenty of competitions around the globe. It means also increased number of doping tests and she has never failed to pass the tests. her body transformed due to extreme diet she has been following since years day by day, every day. She starts her day 6 am and finishes 9 pm. Read her book. I will never visit this site again.
Igen, az.
To Brent Rutemiller: Your statement that Barrett’s “observations are of an experienced writer immersed in the painful lessons of the DDR era” is nothing more than a cowardly defense of his unsubstantiated accusations and unprofessional reporting. The article is an act of defamation and belies the notion that SW is in “the forefront of professional reporting.” Your acknowledgement expressing your regret for your discommoding act of yellow journalism is due Katrina, the Hungarian Swimming Federation, and all readers of SW.
To Casey Barrett: “the best similes are often the crudest” – only if they come from a crude mind. And, if your “logic” holds true the old cliche is welcomed: “It takes one to know one.”
Everyone has the right to speculate and/or share his or her opinion.
The article reflects the opinion of someone who is more experienced in competitive swimming than most of us here. He said what he thinks.
If you are in the spontlight and your performance, as an athlete, seems superhuman, you’d better get used to being speculated about. That is a small price to pay for USD 1 million per year in prize money.
I am Hungarian and I am proud of Hosszú Katinka. But I also believe in free speeach, something recently not practiced by Hungarian media.
Körmendi Ádám — Yours is by far the most balanced, rational and fairminded of all the comments in this string! You are to be commended. Thank you.
For some reason my comment is awaiting moderation however no offense in it:
“Swimming World does not admit that the article was an act of defamation but merely observations reported by an experienced writer immersed in the painful lessons from the DDR era. We all can strive to do better for the sport. – Brent Rutemiller”
Just one more comment: Remember the DDR era and the way Krisztina Egerszegi ruled over the doping DDR swimmer “ladies” becoming olympic champion at age 14. Talent + Hard work + Hard work & more Hard work – this was her way to success. Katinka Hosszú is clearly following the same way of success.
Hi Brent,
Do you expect to get a Pulitzer prize for this kind of journalism, I think not – I hope you feel really bad about this!
Morten
Hi Brent,
Do you expect a Pulitzer for this kind of junk?
Morten
I have visited the site to read this article, now I’m leaving it and never coming back…..”well done” SW…
Szánalmas dolog bizonyítékok nélkül vádaskodni.
Tessék jobb eredményt produkálni.
(És most lehet google translate-et használni.)
Seems SW is not so quick to publish comments critical of defamatory articles they publish.
Protest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Swimming Program 2008 Olympics – (only finals)
200m freestyle – Aug.12 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
100m butterfly – Aug. 16 – Winner – M. Phelps (OR)
200m butterfly – Aug. 13 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
200m medley – Aug. 15 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
400m medley – Aug. 10 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
4x100m freestyle – Aug. 11 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
4x200m freestyle – Aug. 13 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
4x100m medley – Aug. 17 – Winner – M. Phelps (WR)
These are FACTS! Superhuman …?
Follow the logic of the author!
P.s.:
The trainer of Katinka is American; her husband btw. Maybe they got access to the same NASA Lab as the American guys…
Thanks For All of The Comments. We are shutting down this thread as the comments have moved off the subject. If you would like to contact Swimming World you can reach us at http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/mail/contact.asp