Canada’s Alisha Newman Facing Olympic Suspension

The scrutiny on Team Canada continues as Alisha Newman, a bronze medalist pole vaulter from the 2024 Paris Olympics, finds herself facing a lengthy ban. Newman has been suspended from competition for 20 months following a failed drug test, and investigations have indicated that her career in pole vaulting is effectively over.

Newman’s last performances took place at two Diamond League events in May 2025, located in Qatar and Morocco.

This situation marks the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Canada’s sports teams. In early 2026, allegations arose related to curling rule violations and manipulations in the skeleton competition during the Milan-Cortina Olympics. A particular curler was accused of “double-touching” a stone, and it was revealed that the skeleton team had altered the Lake Placid race to safeguard their Olympic qualification points.

The Athletics Integrity Unit reported that Newman missed two random doping tests in February and August of the previous year. Under anti-doping regulations, three “location” failures within a year can be treated as a violation.

In a related incident, it was noted that when approached by sample collection officials, Newman claimed she had to leave for a television game show.

All athletes are required to allocate an hour each day for testing purposes, but it seems Newman faced challenges meeting these requirements. Her suspension is set to end in August 2027—shorter than the usual two-year ban, likely due to the acknowledgment that she has ended her competitive career. The AIU mentioned that this factor played a role in evaluating her level of responsibility in this situation.

Newman had previously excelled, achieving gold and bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games as well as competing in two World Championship finals and earning bronze at the Pan American Games.