Article by Maria Olteanu, David Istrate – Published Friday, 08 May 2026, 08:36 / Updated Friday, 08 May 2026 08:37
Gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu (19 years old) was provisionally suspended from activity on May 7, by the International Testing Agency (ITA), because she was not found three times in a year by anti-doping agencies at the home where she announced she was.
Ana Bărbosu was wanted three times in a row, once in Romania and on two other occasions in the USA, so that the procedures against her were automatically triggered. For this reason, the file reached the table of the International Testing Agency (ITA), where it was provisionally suspended, and now it will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in the hope that it could turn the decision in its favor.
ITA provisionally suspended Ana Maria Bărbosu
The announcement of the provisional suspension was made on May 7 by the ITA. “The International Testing Agency (ITA), which runs an independent anti-doping program on behalf of World Gymnastics, confirms that it has charged Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu with an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) following three location reporting violations committed within a 12-month period.
The ITA confirms that gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu has been charged with an anti-doping rule violation under Article 2.4 of the World Gymnastics Anti-Doping Regulations (World Gymnastics ADR), for committing three location violations within a 12-month period.
Also, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 7.4.2 of the World Gymnastics Anti-Doping Regulations, the athlete was imposed a temporary suspension. The Athlete has requested that this case be referred to the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where she will have the opportunity to present explanations and evidence regarding each of the three location violations.
Based on the delegation of World Gymnastics' anti-doping program to the ITA, the case management and support is carried out entirely by the ITA. As the proceedings are ongoing, no further comment will be made.
Athletes included in a Registered Testing Pool (RTP), such as Ana Maria Bărbosu, are required to provide daily information regarding their location, as well as a specific 60-minute interval each day in which they will be available for testing. The aim is to allow anti-doping organizations to locate athletes for unannounced tests carried out outside competitions”, the statement issued by the ITA states.
Ana Maria Bărbosu's first reaction
“I would like to share and clarify some information that has been circulating,” began Bărbosu's message on Instagram after the ITA announcement.
“As you can imagine, moving to the United States and starting college has been a major transition. Adapting to all these changes has been challenging, but I continue to learn and grow through each experience.”
To be clear, this situation has nothing to do with banned substances, and I am grateful for the guidance and support received throughout this process, explained Bărbosu, in a message written in Romanian and English, in the “Insta Story” section.
ITA provisionally suspended Ana Maria Bărbosu
Ana Maria Bărbosu risks a two-year suspension
GSP.ro wrote at the beginning of March that Ana Maria Bărbosu missed meeting with anti-doping officers three times in a 12-month period and became subject to suspension for breaching tracking procedures.
The file ended up being instrumented by the International Testing Agency (ITA), the entity that, for the most part, took over the issue of doping on a global scale in recent years and in whose offices Bărbosu's fate was judged. It was Stanford University that undertook to pay the full costs for the lawyer Howard Jacobs, the former defender of Simona Halep.
The gymnast, who is studying at Stanford University (California) on a scholarship, missed three check-ups in a 12-month period.
About two weeks ago, ANAD confirmed that Bărbosu is under the attention of the ITA for this fact, however, the athlete had not received a suspension until then.
The standard penalty for this type of offense is between one and two years of suspension. For example, American gymnast Yul Moldauer was suspended for 16 months for a similar violation.
