All about doping in CrossFit

Doping is something that unfortunately exists in all elite sports and even more so when large amounts of money are involved. CrossFit has always made this clear:

To protect the integrity of the competition and its athletes, CrossFit works to ensure the level playing field by creating and enforcing rules that are embodied in the rulebook. The company is also maintains a strict anti-doping policy, which is necessary to be able to crown the fittest person on earth.

How does drug testing work?

Urine or blood samples will be collected at competitions as well as at any other place or time during the season. DRUG FREE SPORT, a company that tests in other sports such as the NFL, NBA and MLB .

Urine or blood samples are taken at competitions and also at any place or time during the season.

Following a security protocol, they are sent to a laboratory approved by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) where they will be analyzed.

Once the results are received, and in the event that a prohibited substance is detected, CrossFit will reach the athlete to notify them and allow them 72 hours to indicate if they wish to appeal..

The athlete may request documentation showing that one or more substances have been detected in his or her system. The Athlete then has 10 days to file an appeal explaining or proving that he/she did not violate the anti-doping rules..

In this case, CrossFit will review the appeal and respond as soon as possible to its final decision . If, after all, it is proven that the athlete has violated the anti-doping rules, CrossFit will proceed to communicate the 4-year sanction.

To date, we are not aware of any case in which CrossFit has withdrawn the sanction because the athlete has been able to prove that he/she did not use prohibited substances. At best it has proceeded with a reduction of the sanction, as with the Brazilian Larissa Cunha's case explained below.

Prohibited substances in CrossFit

Athletes competing in CrossFit agree to accept the rulebook, which specifies exactly which substances are prohibited. Here is the official list of the Wada.

Drug policy CrossFit

Here you can consult the official CrossFit anti-doping rules.

List of CrossFit athletes who have been sanctioned for doping

2025

Brazilian Gabriela Azevedo, 5th in the Masters 45-49 category, tested positive in an anti-doping control carried out during the competition.
👉 The substance detected was Oxandrolone and its metabolites.
👉 He did not appeal the result and received 4 years of sanction (24 Aug 2025 - 24 Aug 2029).
👉 He had qualified and competed in the Games since 2021, achieving his best result this year.

Azevedo was notified on September 21, but still participated last weekend in the TCB, where she won in Masters 45-49 (although it is not an official CrossFit event).

⚠️ Oxandrolone use is not new in Brazil: Patricia Gonçalves (2024) and Pablo Lima (2022) also tested positive for the same substance.

This is the first doping sanction case detected in competition in the Games 2025.

Patricia Gonçalves became the first athlete in 2025 to test positive in an anti-doping control.

At the end of the Copa Sur, in which the athlete came in 5th place, she submitted a sample containing several banned substances.

2024

Shawn Ramirez first lifetime sanction

Shawn Ramirez tested positive in 2018 for metabolites of GW501516. His 4-year sanction expired in 2022 but he tested positive again at the 2024 Masters CrossFit Games.

CrossFit has imposed a permanent sanction and may never again compete in competition that is linked to the brand.

This is the first case to receive such a sanction.

Far East Throwdown Semifinal

In the Asian Semifinal, three of the top four athletes tested positive for banned substances. Among them the winner, Ivan Kukarstsevwho had won what would be his first participation in the CrossFit Games.

Andrew Hiller

Dave Castro announces on his Instagram account, the expulsion of the controversial Youtuber Andrew Hiller from the Open, for having publicly admitted the consumption of banned substances such as testosterone, hormone...

As a curiosity, last year he was able to compete and had already recognized the consumption.

2023

The first case in 2023 was a 50 - 54 master athlete.

Daniela Hodges, failed to submit a sample when requested by CrossFit on March 19.

Hodges finished 20th in the 2023 Open, but did not register for the Quarterfinals after the sample was requested.

Valentina Rangel

Despite being a case that was announced in 2024, the test was conducted in Semifinals 2023.

CrossFit Games made public Valentina Rangel's positive for metabolites of Stanozolol, a steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. Its benefits include burning fat faster than usual, lasting longer and reducing fatigue.

Many people commented on the knowledge of this case but it took 246 days from the time the test was performed until the sanction was made public.

2022

Nycolas Joyal (28), 5th in the Atlas Games, made a post on Instagram confessing to having taken banned substances for two weeks.

The athlete admits to having gone through a bad emotional time, seeing that other athletes were better than him.

This had a negative effect on his mental state and during the Open, where he finished 519th in the world, he felt he was not at the level he wanted to be.

On June 12, he was tested during the Atlas Games semifinals where he tested positive for GW501516 and Ostarine. The same substances as Ricky Garard in 2017.

2021

Larissa Cunha

During the celebration of the CrossFit Games 2021 , the organization announced the disqualification of Brazilian athlete Larissa Cunha for testing positive for Ostarine.

The test was conducted on July 14, 2 weeks before the CrossFit Games. The results were announced when the athlete was already in Madison ready for check-in.

The athlete tried to prove that there was a mistake and obtained a reduction of the sanction to 2 years ..

Janelle Stites

The first positive for doping in 2021 occurred in the Mid Atlantic CrossFit Semifinal. Janelle Stites was a member of the Team On Track who finished 5th and had qualified for the Games.

The athlete tested positive in a weightlifting competition that had been held earlier.

Ray and Ashley Flaser

Members of the Team Ocean State Team that was 5th in Granite Games.

The couple was sanctioned for testing positive for MRSA. Ray confessed to have been using Pure Mass, a product containing a number of prohibited substances such as Testolone, Ligandrol, Ostarine and Adderall among others.

Katie Christian

Team member of Move Fast Lift Heavy tested positive for Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the Granite Games.

The athlete made a post assuming her responsibility, but explained that she was unaware that the substance was banned.

My passion for nutrition and homeopathic medicine has led me to take several vitamins, supplements and herbs that I believe helped me stay healthy and strong and keep me off any prescribed medication. One of these supplements was DHEA.

2020

Lefteris Theofanidis

The first sanctioned for doping, in 2020, was a controversial case. Lefteris posted his Open videos (3rd) and his replays did not always appear to meet movement standards.

He was heavily criticized for his poor performance in official competitions compared to his performance during the Open.

Lefteris tested positive in a sample that was submitted on Dec. 12, 2019 during the Dubai CrossFit Championship.

The athlete was sanctioned with 4 years for the use of 19-norandrosterone (anabolic agent) and meldonium classified as a hormone and metabolic modulator.

2019

Katie Trombetta 44th at CrossFit Games 2019, explained that she missed the 72-hour window that CrossFit gives to be able to respond, as they had an email that she doesn't usually check. When they phone-called her, she also did not respond as it was from an unknown number.

Trombetta claimed not to have consciously taken any supplements containing these substances and explains that GW1516 and Ostarine are usually the most frequent in contaminated supplements and most of the cases of doping in CrossFit. 

Hinrik Óskarsson

A case of those that surprised because it was a repeat offender. He had qualified for the CrossFit Games 2019 and became the first athlete in the top category to return to the Games after a ban.

But a few weeks after the end of the Reykjavik CrossFit Championship, CrossFit announced a new sanction for testing positive for ostarine and RAD-140, two banned substances that left him once again out of any CrossFit competition for 4 more years.

Elly Kabboord

She also participated in the Reykjavik CrossFit Champ. Kabboord claimed that she had been infected by clenbuterol after eating meat in Iceland. CrossFit contacted Icelandic health authorities, who assured that meat controls in the country were up-to-date.

Ben Garard

Another case that made a lot of noise was Ben Garard, Ricky Garard's brother, who tested positive for the same substances as his brother.

2018

Emily Abbott

One of the most talked about cases both for the popularity of the athlete and for the defense that the Canadian athlete used. Upon learning of her positive test result, the athlete denied having consumed any kind of doping substance and explained that she must have been infected through her husband's saliva..

Maria Ceballos

The Colombian athlete published a video on Instagram in which she appeared crying very sorry. Due to her sanction, she was left out what would have been the first Colombian team to participate in the CrossFit Games..

Andrey Ganin

The Russian who surprised with Roman Khrennikov by stepping on the podium at the Berlin Regionals.

2017

Ricky Garard

The most scandalous case in CrossFit history. The Australian athlete placed third in his first year competing in the CrossFit Games. Commentators referred to the athlete's burst of energy.

All athletes who receive financial rewards undergo doping tests and after a while it came to light that he had used SARMs.

CrossFit withdrew him the title of the third-best athlete in the world, which went to Patrick Vellner, and was forced to return the prizes amounting US$76,000.

2016

2015

The closest case to me was that of the Spanish athlete Elia Navarro. Elia tested positive for Oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, during a test at the Meridian Regional 2015 that was held in Copenhagen, Denmark.. She did not appeal and was sanctioned for 2 years without being able to compete.

In an article that she wrote, Elia explained that due to a serious back injury where she suffered a fracture of the D11 vertebra, the doctors recommended her to take oxandrolone to accelerate and ensure recovery. She rejected this option, and the doctors advised her not to train until January.

In November, she returned to training and after the Open she began to feel discomfort so, seeing that the regionals were approaching, she decided to take oxandrolone to be able to compete.

The athlete admitted it was a mistake and took full responsibility.

2014

Abigail Guerrero was the first Spaniard to test positive in a CrossFit drug test.

2010

Did you know that one of the most renowned coaches in the world, (Ben Bergeron)tested positive in 2010?. He was competing in a team event during the 2010 CrossFit Games when, as he stated, decided to buy a supplement with his teammate , Derek Mohammad and both tested positive for the same substance.

Athletes are responsible for what they ingest. Ben Bergeron publicly apologized to all the organizers of the competition.