Canada’s Most Celebrated Female Swimmer Penny Oleksiak Facing Two-Year Suspension for Violating Whereabouts Regulations

Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s most celebrated female Olympian, has received a two-year suspension from competition due to a violation of anti-doping regulations.

On Wednesday AEDT, the International Testing Agency (ITA) announced the suspension for the seven-time Olympic medallist, who recorded three whereabouts failures from October 2024 to June 2025, as detailed in their release.

The 25-year-old swimmer, hailing from Toronto, holds the distinction of being Canada’s most decorated female athlete, amassing seven Olympic medals (one gold, two silver, and four bronze) alongside nine world championship medals (two silver and seven bronze) throughout her illustrious career.

Her ban will conclude on 14 July 2027, allowing her the opportunity to participate in the next Olympic Games scheduled in Los Angeles for 2028.

“We are dedicated to upholding and supporting all anti-doping regulations in alignment with the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and in conjunction with World Aquatics and the World Anti-Doping Agency,” stated Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins.

“While we acknowledge Penny’s assertion that these were unintentional errors and that she has not engaged with banned substances, anti-doping policies exist to guarantee fairness among all athletes.

“Her absence will be felt on the national team, and we look forward to her return to the pool when she becomes eligible again.”

The World Anti-Doping Code classifies a whereabouts failure as any combination of three missed tests or failures to provide information within a 12-month period.

Athletes are required to inform authorities of their whereabouts on a daily basis, including a designated 60-minute window for potential testing by the ITA.

The ITA informed Oleksiak of the proceedings earlier this year.

In July, she withdrew from the World Aquatics Championships and accepted a provisional suspension at that time.