logo
Penny Oleksiak withdraws from swimming worlds citing whereabouts case with World Aquatics

Penny Oleksiak withdraws from swimming worlds citing whereabouts case with World Aquatics

Globe and Mail04-07-2025
Canada's Penny Oleksiak has withdrawn from the world aquatics championships due to being in a whereabouts case with World Aquatics, she announced on social media Friday.
The 25-year-old Toronto native said 'it does not involve any banned substance' and 'I am and always have been a clean athlete and will be making no further comment at this time.'
The world championships are set to begin July 11 and end Aug. 3 in Singapore.
Oleksiak received support of her decision from Swimming Canada CEO Suzanne Paulins, who said the organization believes Oleksiak 'is a clean athlete who made an administrative mistake,' in a statement on social media.
Paulins did, however, say it was 'disappointing news.'
Paulins said athletes are responsible for completing whereabouts and submitting filings on time to comply with anti-doping rules to avoid sanctions.
Oleksiak is a seven-time Olympic medalist and nine-time world championship medalist.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sports organizations concerned about growing disruptions to youth sports from record wildfire seasons
Sports organizations concerned about growing disruptions to youth sports from record wildfire seasons

CBC

time30 minutes ago

  • CBC

Sports organizations concerned about growing disruptions to youth sports from record wildfire seasons

Social Sharing Some Manitoban sport organizations are concerned about a precarious future facing young athletes because of the threat of more frequent and disruptive wildfire seasons. Frankie Appelmans was competing in sailing for Team Manitoba at the Canada Summer Games last week when he saw a plume of smoke billowing off in the distance — about 10 kilometres away. "At first it was just a small puff. We thought it was like a bonfire. But then as it picked up, it just kept growing and growing, growing," said the 19-year-old University of Manitoba student. "Watching it grow was pretty scary." His sailing coach, Jackie Spear, saw it too and said the air quality in St. John's got so bad, it reminded her of Manitoba. "By the next day there were evacuation notices for the areas affected and so they had to cancel the sailing for Day 2 of competition to let the residents be on the road and evacuate in a timely way so that we weren't clogging up the roadways," said Spear. This summer, like in Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador has been experiencing a catastrophic wildfire season, drawing parallels to 1961. In Manitoba, it has been the smokiest on record, passing its previous high set in 1961. Earlier this month, the air quality in Winnipeg was the worst in the entire world. This summer in particular, many recreational youth sports leagues have had to delay, postpone and, in many instances, cancel sporting events, practices and games due to poor air quality. Disruptive wildfires could become a new normal, as a recent study out of the University of Ottawa suggests the conditions conducive to the breakout of wildfires are expected to become " more frequent, subtle, and hazardous." Now outdoor recreational sports organizations and coaches are left wondering how they can adapt to a new wildfire-burdened reality. "The reality is that you have to look for other options," said Héctor Vergara, executive director of the Manitoba Soccer Association. Through its member organizations, the provincial body oversees the administration of soccer for over 900 youth soccer teams, and over 25,000 registered players, according to Vergara. "There's a huge operational struggle sometimes to be able to co-ordinate and organize the sport due to the wildfires," said Vergara. "The reality is that there is a safety issue with the weather conditions that we had with the wildfires, and obviously the air quality isn't at the level we need to be in order for us to play in a safe manner, so there's been a lot of cancellations." He says this summer has been the first time in a long time they've really had to be concerned about the air quality index, which measures the risk posed to an individual's health based on the air quality in the region on a scale from one to 10. According to Janet McMahon, president and CEO of Sport Manitoba, anything above a seven means that "nobody probably should be doing anything of any kind of exertion." "I don't think we've ever seen the impact of wildfires like this year," said McMahon. "We're learning as we go. It'll be a learning process moving forward." While wildfire smoke is generally understood to be harmful, there is a need for more research, especially on long-term effects. According to one international research collaborative, early-life exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to lower lung function in children and other immune and respiratory issues. "We're very concerned," said McMahon. "I mean, that's our number 1 issue: keeping people healthy, keeping people safe, keeping people active. This could have very significant long-term effects and I think we don't really know what they are." Spear says the poor air quality in Manitoba affected the amount of training and events they were able to have in the lead-up to the Canada Games. Last month, the Gimli Yacht Club in Manitoba hosted the 2025 Sail West Regional Championships, though the final day of the regatta was cancelled due to poor air quality and visibility brought on by wildfires. Spear says having to cancel the second day was tough on athletes who worked so hard to compete in the championships — though forcing athletes to leave early from the Canada Games would have been devastating. "Everyone has spent so much time preparing for this event," said Spear. "You want everyone to be able to go out there and compete as much as possible." For many young athletes, the Canada Games can be a pathway to international competitions. "The Canada Games kind of fit all bills. For some people, it's the pinnacle of their career — after this they're going off to university and maybe participate recreationally — for other people, this is a pathway to future international sport," said McMahon. McMahon says there hasn't been much dialogue with the province yet about the impact of wildfires and wildfire smoke on sporting competitions, though she worries parents and young athletes will start to choose sports that are more conducive to playing indoors. "If there is more pressure to bear with outdoor sports coming indoors, I think we will have to see an investment by not just political parties, but also the public — public investment and revenue generation from other sources," she added. While the Team Manitoba sailing team were able to finish the remainder of their events in St. John's despite having two days cancelled due to poor air quality from wildfires, the possibility of more summers like this one looms large.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store