Penny Oleksiak withdraws from swimming worlds citing whereabouts case with World Aquatics
She said 'it does not involve any banned substance,' and 'I am and always have been a clean athlete'
Canada's Penny Oleksiak has withdrawn from the upcoming world aquatics championships due to a whereabouts issue under anti-doping rules, she announced on social media Friday.
The 25-year-old Toronto native, Canada's most decorated female Olympian, said the matter "does not involve any banned substance" and added, "I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time."
Swimming Canada said Oleksiak was not sanctioned, but withdrew voluntarily.
Athlete whereabouts is part of the World Anti Doping Agency's (WADA) drug testing program. Selected athletes must provide a daily 60-minute availability window, 90 days in advance, to be tested, no matter where in the world they might be. 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.
Any combination of three filing failures or missed tests within 12-months could result in a two-year ban.
Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins said Oleksiak failed to keep her whereabouts information fully up to date with World Aquatics but described it as "an administrative mistake."
"We support her decision and believe she is a clean athlete who made an administrative mistake," Paulins said in a statement. "This is a team-first decision, as while she has not been sanctioned at this time, participating at world championships could potentially affect team results if an anti-doping rule violation is determined."
Paulins added that athletes are responsible for submitting whereabouts filings on time to comply with anti-doping rules and avoid sanctions.
"Anti-doping regulations are in place to ensure a level playing field for all athletes, and we are committed to the enforcement and support of all anti-doping rules as outlined in the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and through World Aquatics and the World Anti-Doping Agency," she said.
The world championships run from July 11 to Aug. 3 in Singapore.
Oleksiak is a seven-time Olympic medallist and nine-time world championship medallist.
With files from Devin Heroux
