The Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) announces that it has partially accepted the request for disciplinary proceedings filed by World Gymnastics against the gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu, regarding three cases of non-compliance with the obligation to communicate the location for anti-doping tests. It was found that Bărbosu committed a violation of the anti-doping rules (ADRV) and was sanctioned with a two-year ineligibility period, starting on May 5, 2026, the date from which the provisional suspension came into effect, TAS informs.
World Gymnastics delegates the management of its anti-doping program to the International Testing Agency (ITA). In the spring of 2026, the ITA informed Bărbosu about a violation of the anti-doping rules (ADRV), as three non-compliances with the obligation to communicate her whereabouts had been registered between September and December 2025, i.e. in a period of 12 months, writes News.ro.
This was sanctioned with the applicable standard period of ineligibility of two years and provisionally suspended as of May 5, 2026. Ana Bărbosu informed the ITA that she does not agree with the proposed consequences and requested a hearing before the TAS ADD. On August 20, 2026, a hearing took place during which a single judge heard the arguments of both sides.
He considered that all three violations regarding the obligation to communicate her location were correctly recorded in the athlete’s account within a 12-month period, which constitutes a violation of anti-doping rules (ADRV). Consequently, Bărbosu is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years, from which the period of provisional suspension already executed is deducted.
However, it was decided that all results obtained in competitions by Ana Bărbosu starting from December 2025 will not be cancelled. Therefore, the request is partially granted.
What happens to the other procedure, regarding the Olympic Games
Bărbosu and World Gymnastics are involved in a separate arbitration proceeding at the CAS, concerning the final of the women’s artistic gymnastics floor event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
This proceeding (the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and Ana Maria Bărbosu v. Jordan Chiles, USA Gymnastics, Donatella Sacchi and World Gymnastics) was remitted to the CAS by the Swiss Federal Court in February 2026 and will be re-examined in the light of the new evidence.
The parties submit their written submissions and have requested the CAS not to hold a hearing before May 2027.
The TAS Anti-Doping Division (TAS ADD) was established in 2019 as the first-instance authority to review and rule on anti-doping cases under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC).
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international federations recognized by the IOC, as well as WADC signatories, have delegated to TAS ADD the power to determine whether an anti-doping rule violation has occurred and to impose sanctions. TAS ADD operates throughout the year, and the sole judges of TAS ADD are specialized in anti-doping regulations. TAS ADD proceedings are confidential and decisions are not made public.
