Belgian powerlifting champion Sonita Muluh has spoken publicly about feeling “unsafe” competing after a spotter at the 2026 World Powerlifting Championships admitted on social media that he had intentionally interfered with her lift and described himself as “racist.” The post, which was later deleted, has triggered a criminal investigation in Lithuania, while the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation have both taken action against the official.
Championship lift ends in controversy
The incident occurred during the World Powerlifting Championships in Lithuania in June, when Muluh attempted a record-breaking 334.5kg squat, what she described as the heaviest squat ever attempted by a female athlete.During the lift, spotter Ernestas Kusinas made contact with the loaded bar using his knee. Although Muluh managed to stabilise the weight, the attempt was ruled unsuccessful and she was not permitted another opportunity after judges disqualified the lift on a separate technical infringement.At the time, Muluh believed the contact had been accidental.“He did not reach out afterwards to apologise, but he is not obliged to. I thought it was a human mistake, that cost me a lot on the day,” she told BBC Sport.“But there was no hatred [from me]. I didn’t lash out; didn’t curse at him. There was a video of it posted afterwards and I said: ‘I hope he does not get hate.’ I believed it was an honest mistake.”
Social media post changes everything
Five weeks later, the controversy took a dramatic turn after screenshots surfaced of an Instagram post attributed to Kusinas that read: “Sorry for you morons, I’m racist and I did it on purpose because I hate you pieces of s*.”*The post was later deleted, but not before it circulated widely across social media, prompting criticism, a police investigation in Lithuania and disciplinary action by the Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation.Speaking to BBC Sport after learning about the post, Muluh said the revelation completely changed how she viewed the incident.“It’s shocking to wake up five weeks later and it’s all over the internet that he did it on purpose because of the colour of my skin,” she said.“I feel unsafe and uneasy that this person is standing beside me with massive weight, with what can go wrong, with the amount of weight on your back.“I was lucky when I realised [it hit his knee] and I could stabilise it. Not everyone could. It was the heaviest ever squat for a female.”ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.
Spotter says post was sarcastic
According to Reuters, Lithuanian police have opened a criminal investigation into both the Instagram message and the events surrounding the championship. A police spokesperson told the news agency the investigation will examine the social media post and what happened during the competition, with the alleged offence carrying a maximum penalty of two years in prison.After the post sparked widespread backlash, Kusinas told Reuters that the message was never intended as a genuine admission but was written “out of anger” after an unidentified social media user accused him of racism.“It was not a statement, it was mockery of the accusation,” Kusinas told Reuters, insisting the post was sarcastic rather than a confession that he had intentionally interfered with Muluh’s lift.He also rejected suggestions that his actions during the competition were deliberate, saying he had accidentally interfered with several athletes because he was exhausted after spending long hours performing spotter duties throughout the championship.Speaking to Reuters, Kusinas said he had “unintentionally interfered with Muluh’s and other athletes’ attempts because I was tired after my duties at the event.”
Muluh questions athlete safety
Despite Kusinas’ explanation, Muluh said she believes the governing body failed to adequately protect competitors.“I feel like the federation needs to do background checks. If you are going to put my life in someone else’s hands, at least make sure that person is well equipped to be able to protect me or keep me from harm,” she told BBC Sport.“But they failed me [through] negligence and putting my life in danger.”She also rejected Kusinas’ later explanation.“[Kusinas] doubled down in his racist behaviour [afterwards]. Only now is he saying it was a joke. There’s nothing jokey about any of what he said. He put my life in danger. Nobody spots like that, with their knee.”Reflecting on her wider experience, Muluh said she did not feel welcome during the competition in Lithuania and claimed minority athletes have continued to face discriminatory treatment at international events.“I hope [the IPF] do things differently, that they consider the safety of athletes more and especially minority people,” she said.“People looked down on us in Lithuania in a very disgusting way. When I competed in Poland someone sneezed in my face at the airport. Some black athletes are booed in competition, we have to worry about our skin colour while competing.”
Federations respond
The Lithuanian Powerlifting Federation responded by issuing Kusinas a lifetime ban and said it had been “deeply shocked” by the views expressed publicly, adding that they contradicted the federation’s principles and accepting responsibility for addressing the matter.ID@undefined Caption not available.ID@undefined Caption not available.The IPF also condemned the incident, stating that racism, discrimination and hateful conduct “have no place” within the organisation or the wider powerlifting community. The governing body said it supported the Lithuanian federation’s swift response and would review its recruitment, screening, accreditation and oversight procedures for volunteers working at future championships to strengthen athlete safeguarding.
