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12 March 2026
The ITA confirms that sambo athlete Plamen Yordanov from Bulgaria has been sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility for an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) under article 2.1 and article 2.2 of the FIAS anti-doping rules (FIAS ADR).
A sample collected from the athlete following an in-competition doping control conducted on 23 April 2025 during the Youth, Junior and Elite European Sambo Championships in Limassol, Cyprus, returned an adverse analytical finding¹ for the prohibited substance meldonium.
Meldonium is prohibited under the WADA Prohibited List as S4 Hormone and Metabolic Modulators. It is also prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and classified as a non-specified substance. Meldonium may enhance sports performance by improving endurance and recovery through increased oxygen uptake and energy metabolism.
On 16 May 2025, the ITA notified the athlete of the case and imposed a mandatory provisional suspension with immediate effect.²
The sanction was issued by the ITA on behalf of FIAS in accordance with article 8.3.3 of the FIAS ADR (and equivalent provision in the World Anti-Doping Code).³ The period of ineligibility is effective from 3 December 2025⁴ until 2 December 2029 and the athlete’s competitive results have been disqualified from 23 April 2025 onwards, including his individual results obtained at the Youth, Junior and Elite European Sambo Championships.
The decision is subject to appeal before the Appeals Arbitration Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in accordance with article 13.2.3 of the FIAS ADR.
The ITA will not comment further on this case.
¹ A report from a WADA-accredited laboratory that, consistent with the International Standard for Laboratories, establishes in a sample the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolites or markers or evidence of the use of a prohibited method.
² The information about the Provisional Suspension was publicly disclosed by the ITA shortly after its imposition: https://ita.sport/sanction/international-sambo-federation-fias/
³ When an athlete does not challenge the assertion of an ADRV and does not request a hearing, anti-doping organisations have the possibility to issue a written decision sanctioning the athlete and imposing the applicable consequences without having to refer the case to a hearing panel. This is provided in articles 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 of the FIAS anti-doping rules and article 8.3 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
⁴ Considering that the Athlete has breached the conditions of his provisional suspension, the period of ineligibility commences from the date of issuance of the decision as per article 10.14.1 of the FIAS anti-doping rules.
