The International Testing Agency (or ITA) announced on Thursday, May 7, that it has charged Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu with an Anti-Doping Rule Violation for three whereabouts failures committed within 12 months. The athlete was provisionally suspended in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code.
Athletes such as Ana Maria Barbosu are required to provide daily whereabouts and a specific 60-minute time slot each day when they will be available for testing. The purpose is to allow anti-doping organisations to locate athletes for unannounced out-of-competition testing.
Missing such tests three times within a 12-month period constitutes an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, the ITA stated in a press release.
One of the most well-known Romanian gymnasts of her generation, the 19-year-old Romanian was reportedly not found by Agency representatives once in Romania and twice in the United States, which automatically triggered disciplinary proceedings against her back in April. The prosecution of the case is being handled entirely by the ITA, according to the international institution.
Bărbosu, who recently moved to the US to study at Stanford University, requested that the case be referred for adjudication to the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division, where the athlete will have the opportunity to present explanations and evidence regarding each of the three whereabouts failures.
“I would like to share and clarify some information that has circulated,” Bărbosu said in a message on Instagram.
“To be clear, this situation has nothing to do with prohibited substances, and I am grateful for the guidance and support received throughout this process,” she said, adding that the move to the US proved challenging for her.
Ana Maria Bărbosu won the title of Gymnast of the Year 2025 in the campaign launched by European Gymnastics. In 2025, she won four medals at the European Championship in Leipzig. She is currently a student at Stanford University.
(Photo source: Federatia Romana de Gimnastica on Facebook)
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