US Olympic relay silver medallist Aleia Hobbs handed six-month anti-doping ban over IV infusion violation

American Olympic sprint relay silver medallist Aleia Hobbs has been handed a six-month ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for an anti-doping rule violation involving an intravenous infusion.

USADA says 30-year-old Hobbs accepted the sanction after receiving a saline infusion of more than the permitted 100 millilitres within a 12-hour period.

Hobbs declared the infusion during an out-of-competition sample collection on February 5, 2026, explaining that she had received the treatment at home to help manage flu-like symptoms.

However, USADA says the infusion did not qualify for a therapeutic use exemption and therefore constituted a violation of the world anti-doping code and world athletics anti-doping rules.

The agency says no prohibited substance was administered, but intravenous infusions exceeding 100 millilitres in a 12-hour period are prohibited unless specific exceptions apply, including treatment in a hospital, surgical procedure or clinical diagnostic investigation.

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