Pardon the pun, Oliver, but these are not weighty issues.
If Markos or his chums give you a hard time, just tell them to bugger off.
In end we are all doing a very simple thing, picking up iron and putting it back down again. We can make it sound more complex than that if we want, but really it's nothing that special or brilliant in itself. It just happens to have some good results for your health, confidence, performance in sports, and appearance - if you do it right. But in itself it's nothing much. Pick up iron, put it back down again - next time, pick up slightly heavier iron, or pick up the same piece of iron a few times more. That's it. Up and down, up and down.
The smaller the stakes, the nastier the politics. And these are very, very small stakes - whether a few hundred people across the country wear this or that expensive piece of kit on themselves during competition. Small bikkies. Not a big deal.
Lift for yourself. Markos will give you a hard time whatever you do. But everyone needs a hobby. Just tell him, "that's nice, dear," and go lift in whatever way suits you best.