BUCHAREST: Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu has been banned for two years after committing three whereabouts failures under anti-doping rules, the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) Anti-Doping Division said on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old’s ban runs from May 5, 2026, when her provisional suspension began, leaving her eligible to return in May 2028, about two months before the Los Angeles Olympics, subject to any appeal.
Barbosu contested the proposed consequences and requested a hearing before CAS ADD, but a judge ruled that her three whereabouts failures between September and December 2025 had been correctly recorded.
‘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 Barbosu,’ the CAS ADD said in a statement.
The ADD said the request was only partially upheld because Barbosu’s competitive results since December 2025 would not be disqualified.
The International Testing Agency (ITA), which administers World Gymnastics’ anti-doping programme, said it acknowledged the ruling.-Reuters