AFP via Getty ImagesCanada’s most decorated Olympian, swimmer Penny Oleksiak, has accepted a two-year ban from competing after a doping rule violation.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) announced on Tuesday that Oleksiak had committed three ‘whereabout errors’ in 12 months. Athletes are required to provide daily location data and a specific one-hour testing window to allow officials to conduct out-of-competition drug testing.
The Toronto-born swimmer is a seven-time Olympic medalist. She rose to national fame at the 2016 Rio Games, becoming Canada’s youngest Olympic champion at the age of 16.
The 25-year-old athlete will be allowed to compete again in July 2027.
“While we accept Penny’s statement that these were unintentional errors and she did not use any banned substances, anti-doping rules are in place to ensure a level playing field for all athletes,” Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins said in a statement.
“We will miss Penny on the national team and hope to see her back in the pool when she is eligible.”
The ITA said it notified Oleksiak of the whereabouts case in July. She subsequently withdrew from the Aquatics World Championships and accepted a voluntary provisional suspension.
At the time, she insisted that the case “did not involve a banned substance” and that she had always been a clean athlete.
The two-year suspension from swimming opens up the possibility that Oleksiak could compete in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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