Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak notified of anti-doping rules violation

Swim star Penny Oleksiak of Toronto has been notified of an apparent anti-doping rule violation by the International Testing Agency.

According to the ITA, Oleksiak committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period between October 2024 and June 2025.

The three-time Olympian has been made aware of the case and has accepted a voluntary provisional suspension pending the resolution of the matter.

She has the right to provide her explanations for each of the three whereabouts failures.

Toronto swim star Penny Oleksiak has been notified of a potential anti-doping violation by the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The ITA reports that Oleksiak recorded three whereabouts failures within a 12-month span, occurring between October 2024 and June 2025.

The three-time Olympian has been informed of the case and has agreed to a voluntary provisional suspension while the matter is resolved. She retains the right to explain the circumstances surrounding each of the three missed tests.

Due to the ongoing proceedings, neither the ITA, World Aquatics, nor Oleksiak will issue further statements at this time.

The third missed test appears to have taken place after Oleksiak secured her spot on Canada’s team for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Two weeks ago, Oleksiak announced on Instagram—in a since-deleted post—that she was withdrawing from the world championship team and accepting the provisional suspension. Any potential penalty would be shortened by the duration of her voluntary suspension.

In her post, Oleksiak maintained, “I am and always have been a clean athlete,” clarifying that the case “does not involve any banned substance—it’s about whether I properly updated my whereabouts information.”

Swimming Canada backed her stance, stating, “We support her decision and believe she is a clean athlete who made an administrative error.”

A Whereabouts violation can impact an athlete’s eligibility even without any evidence of banned substance use. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, three missed tests or filing failures within a year constitute a violation.

Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool—the most stringent level of anti-doping monitoring—must provide precise, up-to-date whereabouts information at all times. This ensures they can be tested anytime, anywhere, without prior notice.

World Aquatics states that if an athlete in the testing pool submits “late, inaccurate, or incomplete whereabouts information, resulting in their unavailability for testing, they may receive a Filing Failure.”