THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT ANTI-DOPING DIVISION
(CAS ADD) PARTIALLY UPHOLDS SANCTION AGAINST ANA MARIA
BĂRBOSU (ROMANIA)
Lausanne, Wednesday 4 November 2026 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division
(CAS ADD) has partially upheld a request for disciplinary proceedings by World Gymnastics
against gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu (Romania), concerning three whereabouts failures for Anti-
Doping tests. Ms Bărbosu is found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) and is
sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility from 5 May 2026, the start date of her provisional
suspension.
World Gymnastics delegates the management of its Anti-Doping programme to the International
Testing Agency (ITA). In spring 2026, the ITA informed Ms Bărbosu of an ADRV, as three
whereabouts failures had been recorded against her between September and December 2025, i.e.
within a 12-month period. She was charged with the standard applicable period of ineligibility of
two years and provisionally suspended from 5 May 2026. Ms Bărbosu informed the ITA that she did
not agree to the proposed consequences and requested a hearing before the CAS ADD.
A hearing was held on 20 August 2026 where a Single Judge heard the arguments by both Parties.
He considered that the three whereabouts failures were correctly recorded against the athlete
within a 12-month period, which constitutes an ADRV. Consequently, Ms Bărbosu is sanctioned
with a period of ineligibility of two years, with credit for provisional suspension served. However,
he determined that all competitive results obtained by Ms Bărbosu since December 2025 shall not
be disqualified. The request is therefore partially upheld.
Ms Bărbosu and World Gymnastics are involved in a separate ongoing CAS arbitration procedure
concerning the women’s gymnastics floor exercise final during the 2024 Summer Paris Olympic
Games. This procedure (Romanian Gymnastics Federation & Ana Maria Bărbosu v. Jordan Chiles,
USA Gymnastics, Donatella Sacchi & World Gymnastics) was referred back to CAS by the Swiss
Federal Tribunal in February 2026, which will be re-examined in light of new evidence. The Parties
are exchanging written proceedings and have requested CAS not to hold a hearing before May
2027.
The CAS Anti-Doping Division (CAS ADD) was created in 2019 as a first instance authority to hear and decide antidoping
cases in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC). The International Olympic Committee (IOC),
International Federations recognised by the IOC and signatories to the WADC have delegated the CAS ADD the
authority to adjudicate whether a violation of anti-doping rules has occurred and apply sanctions. The CAS ADD
operates year-round and CAS ADD Single Judges are specialised in anti-doping regulations. CAS ADD procedures are
confidential, and rulings are not made publicly available.