Banned for ten years: convicted for endangering the health of biathletes and obstructing the investigation.

This was confirmed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne late Monday afternoon.

Petru Bria, the former secretary general of the Moldovan Biathlon Federation, has been banned for ten years from all forms of competition, events, and activities organized by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) or national federations. 

Extensive and serious charges

Bria has been found guilty of multiple offenses, including posing a risk to the physical and mental health of individuals involved in the sport of biathlon. 

He has also been convicted for failing to provide the IBU’s Integrity Unit (Biathlon Integrity Unit) with required information, not cooperating with BIU investigators, and deliberately delaying the process. Furthermore, he is accused of damaging or jeopardizing the reputation and interests of the IBU. 

CAS concluded that the BIU was justified in temporarily suspending Bria from his role within the Moldovan Biathlon Federation. He is now banned for ten years. 

“The sanction reflects the seriousness of the violations, the responsibilities that come with a leading official position, and the need to protect the sport’s reputation, safety, and integrity,” the BIU stated in a press release Monday afternoon.

This is the Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU)

The Biathlon Integrity Unit (BIU) is responsible for investigating and prosecuting breaches of biathlon’s integrity code. This can include doping, corruption, betting, harassment, and abuse. The purpose of the unit is to ensure that the IBU complies with its obligations in anti-doping efforts and other regulations related to governance and ethical compliance according to the IBU’s statutes.

It was the BIU that in July of this year decided to suspend Latvian coach Ilmars Bricis for six months following a violent incident during the World Championships in Lenzerheide.

The BIU also reviewed the fraud case against French biathlete Julia Simon. In the fall of 2025, she was convicted of misusing the credit card of national team colleague Justine Braisaz-Bouchet and another person in the support staff, as well as two additional instances of fraud. 

Also Read – Biathlon Integrity Unit closes case: Simon will not face additional sanctions

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