Justice for Agata Sitko: Restore Her Right to Compete

In a world where athletes dedicate their lives to reaching the pinnacle of their sport, any setback is more than a hindrance — it’s a profound personal and professional blow.

For Agata Sitko, currently the only drug-tested professional powerlifter whose sole income comes from competing, powerlifting is not just a career — it’s her life’s passion and identity. Yet today, that is under threat.

Due to a reprimand from her national federation, Agata’s ability to compete internationally has been unfairly compromised. This decision has inflicted severe emotional, professional, and financial harm on an athlete who has devoted herself entirely to her sport.

Agata's predicament isn't just about a missed opportunity to compete; it's about the unnecessary mental and financial harm that has been caused to her. Her federation’s decision not only impacts her career but her mental health and ability to provide for herself.

Emotional and Mental Toll

Since receiving her suspension on July 17, 2025, Agata has experienced significant mental distress. She has now been seeking psychiatric help and has been prescribed escitalopram, a medication commonly used to treat depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Reported side effects of this medication are significant and can severely impact both physical and psychological well-being — including weight gain (a critical concern in a weight-class sport like powerlifting), persistent nausea, and loss of sexual libido.

In 2023, Agata sought psychiatric help for the first time as she faced anxiety and depression, yet she never required medication — a stark contrast to the situation she now finds herself in.This shows the immense mental burden this suspension  has caused her; far greater than any competition she has ever competed in.

Financial and Professional Damage

Not only has the suspension caused mental and emotional harm but it has also caused irreversible financial damage.
Agata has already missed two competitions (Girl Power and Avancus Houston), and will likely miss a third (Silent Worker (SW) meet), each with substantial cash prizes:

• Estimated total lost income (if 1st place): €16,000
• Estimated total lost income (if 2nd place): €10,000

She also had to bear:

• Legal and mental health expenses costing: €1,500
• Travel costs to SW (her federation gave her permission in June 2025 to compete) a: €800

In total, this unjust decision has cost her between €12,200 and €18,200 — nearly a year’s income in Poland (average annual income: €18,500–€22,500, according to Trading Economics).

For a full-time professional athlete, this represents not just a lost income (almost a year's worth), but lost opportunity — years of training, discipline, and sacrifice undone by an unjust administrative act.

As of today, Agata and her lawyer presented her case before the disciplinary committee in attempt to restore her license. However, the result of this case will only be finalised on the 3rd of November, the SW meet would have already concluded as it would be on the 25th of October 2025.

A Call for Urgent Action

On October 11, Agata and her lawyer presented her case to the disciplinary committee in hopes of restoring her license. However, the final decision will only be made on November 3, 2025 — after the SW Meet on October 25,

We are therefore urgently calling on the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) to intervene and grant Agata a temporary license to compete at SW, something the FFForce (IPF affiliate of France) planned on doing, before being blocked by the Polish Federation.

By doing so, the IPF would not only correct a serious injustice, but also affirm its commitment to fairness, integrity, and but also demonstrate support for athletes who invest everything into their sport. 

Why This Matters

To deny Agata this opportunity is to set a dangerous precedent — one where even the most talented and dedicated athletes can see their dreams destroyed by abuse of authority rather than the limits of their own strength.

This damages not only Agata, but the future of powerlifting itself.
If young athletes learn that hard work and honesty can still be undone by politics, the very spirit of sport — the belief that merit, hard work and dedication are what count — will be lost.

Powerlifting is about discovering how strong a human being can be. But if this injustice stands, it sends a message that no amount of strength can overcome the power of unfair bureaucracy.

Stand With Agata Sitko

Agata Sitko has represented the best of what powerlifting stands for — discipline, dedication, and integrity. She is a pioneer, blazing the trail toward showing that it is possible to be professional powerlifter — and she has more than earned the right to compete.

Your signature can help restore that right.

Stand with Agata Sitko. Sign this petition to urge the IPF to grant her the  license she rightfully deserves.