November 26, (THEWILL) — Canadian swimmer, Penny Oleksiak, has received a two-year ban following an anti-doping rule breach, the Aquatics Integrity Unit confirmed on Tuesday. The suspension relates to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, though the 25-year-old did not record a positive test for any prohibited substance.
Under anti-doping regulations, athletes must submit daily location information and specify a 60-minute window during which they can be tested. The International Testing Agency announced the violation in July, allowing Oleksiak to explain the circumstances behind her missed updates. Swimming Canada’s chief executive Suzanne Paulins described the issue at the time in July, calling it an administrative error.
The ban runs from July 15 this year until 14 July 2027. Oleksiak withdrew from the world championships in Singapore in late July, stating on social media that she remained a clean athlete but could not comment further on the case.
Oleksiak holds seven Olympic medals, making her Canada’s most decorated female Olympian. She burst onto the international stage in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro at just 16 years old, becoming the first Canadian to win four medals at a single Summer Games and the country’s first female swimming gold medallist since 1984. That achievement earned her the Lou Marsh trophy for Canada’s top athlete of the year.
After meniscus surgery in late 2022, she relocated to Los Angeles the following summer. She qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics despite limited racing before trials but did not swim in the final of the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, with Canada finishing fourth.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
