Whereabout is Alysha Newman? First Public Statement Since Provisional Suspension

Alysha Newman has been the face of Canadian pole vault for at least ten years. However, on Tuesday, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) handed her a provisional suspension that could have her miss the next two years if upheld.

Newman, 31, received the suspension for “Whereabouts failure,” or missing three unannounced drug tests within 12 months. She’s not the first high-profile athlete to receive this type of suspension. Fred Kerley, the 100-meter World Champion from 2022 and 100-meter 2021 Olympic silver medalist, received a whereabouts suspension in August.

Newman set her personal best of 4.85 meters at the 2024 Olympics to take home Canada’s first-ever medal in the women’s pole vault. She’s been a fixture on Canadian National teams since first qualifying for the Pan American U20 Championships in 2013. Since then, she has won six national championships and a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Her highest finish at the World Championships is fifth (2019).

Several hours ago, Newman released her first public statement since the suspension on her Instagram. In her video, she says:

“I personally cannot talk about everything at this moment … I kind of found out when you guys found out, and it was released … So I just wanted to start off by saying that never taken any enhanced drugs. I’ve never taken steroids. And the point of this suspension is simply a missed… failure test of the whereabouts.”

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Athletics Canada also released a statement on the provisional suspension, saying:

“While Athletics Canada provides on-going guidance and reminders to athletes on the requirements for declaring whereabouts, the athlete is ultimately responsible for providing the information in a timely matter as required.

This is an unfortunate situation and Athletics Canada hopes to see Alysha Newman back as part of our National Team Program when she is eligible.”

What Is Whereabouts Failure?

Newman and other elite athletes who have reached the top level of their sport are in a pool called the Registered Testing Pool. Because many drugs have a limited amount of time that they’re detectable in the human body, there’s always the worry that if athletes know when they’re going to be tested, like at competitions, they will cycle off certain drugs ahead of time.

Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool receive random testing throughout the year to make it more difficult to anticipate when the tests are coming. You can find the list of athletes in this pool here.

Whereabout failure means an athlete misses three of their tests in a 12-month period. A test is considered missed if the athlete is unreachable during the one-hour testing window or if the test isn’t filed properly.

It’s worth noting that the requirements for athletes in this pool are rigorous, and although whereabouts failure serves a 24-month suspension, it doesn’t mean the athlete was taking performance-enhancing drugs. In some cases, the missed tests may be due to administrative issues, such as not alerting the tester when their schedule changes.

The Rigorous Requirements

Athletes who are in the pool effectively sacrifice all their privacy to help preserve the integrity of the sport. For example, according to the AIU, athletes must provide:

1. An email and telephone number where they can be contacted.
2. A detailed plan for three months, with their full address and where they’ll be staying overnight.
3. The address of each location where they have regular activities, such as training, work, and school, including the exact times and addresses.
4. A copy of their detailed competition schedule, including the name, address, date, and accommodations
5. A 60-minute time slot between 5:00 am and 11:00 pm where they’re for testing. World Athletics strongly suggests this time slot be set at a time when they’re at a regular location that’s unlikely to change.

Ultimate Responsibility on the Athlete

Whenever an athlete fails whereabouts requirements, it can raise doping suspicions, even if the athlete isn’t taking any banned substances. Although the requirements for athletes in the testing pool are strict, the responsibility to meet the requirements ultimately falls on the athlete.

Newman will still have a chance to appeal her suspension ahead of it being upheld.

In many cases, athletes argue that there was an issue with the protocol of one of their missed tests. If the results of one of the missed tests are annulled, the overall suspension is lifted, and the athlete goes back to two strikes against them.