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Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak handed two-year competition ban
The International Testing Agency (ITA) has announced a two-year suspension against Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak for a violation of the World Aquatics doping control rules.
The agency had previously reported that Oleksiak committed three “whereabouts failures” between October 2024 and June 2025. On July 15, she accepted a voluntary provisional suspension pending resolution of the matter.
The 25-year-old Toronto native and Canada’s most decorated female Olympian said at the time that the issue “does not involve any banned substance.” She added: “I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time.”
Oleksiak did not contest the violation and agreed with the consequences proposed by the ITA. “Accordingly, the case was resolved through an acceptance of consequences,” the agency said.
Athlete whereabouts is part of the World Anti Doping Agency’s drug testing program, and requires athletes to provide a daily one-hour availability window, 90 days in advance, to be tested, no matter where they are.
If an athlete submits “late, inaccurate or incomplete whereabouts that lead to them being unavailable for testing, (they) may receive a Filing Failure,” according to World Aquatics.
The Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU) announced that the ban extends from July 15, 2025 to July 14, 2027. “Additionally, all competitive results obtained from 16 June 2025 onward have been disqualified, including the forfeiture of medals, points, and prizes,” it added.
“The AQIU reminds all athletes included in its Registered Testing Pool (RTP) of the importance of making sure they keep their Whereabouts information up to date at all times,” the unit said in a release, adding that it offers online training “to ensure their whereabouts are filed and updated in accordance with the applicable rules.”
In July, Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins described Oleksiak’s failure to keep her whereabouts information fully up to date as “an administrative mistake.”
Nicknamed “Magic Penny,” Oleksiak competed for Canada in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where she won gold in the 100 metre freestyle. She won an additional two bronze medals that year, in addition to two bronzes at the 2020 games in Tokyo. She has also won multiple gold medals at World Junior Championships and World Championships events.
The ITA has said it will not comment further on this case.
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