Italian biathlete Rebecca Passler tests positive for doping at Milan Cortina Olympics
Passler, 24, tested positive for letrozolo in an out-of-competition test four days before the Games begin. She has been provisionally suspended.
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Rebecca Passler, an Italian biathlete, tested positive for the banned substance letrozolo in an out-of-competition doping control, marking the first doping case at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Passler, 24, from South Tyrol, was found positive following a test conducted by Nado Italia, Italy's national anti-doping organization. The test was carried out four days before the opening ceremony, scheduled for February 6. The National Anti-Doping Tribunal provisionally suspended the athlete following a request from the National Anti-Doping Prosecutor's Office.
Letrozolo is a third-generation aromatase inhibitor classified as a prohibited substance under category S4 of the World Anti-Doping Code. The drug is primarily used to treat hormone-dependent breast cancer in postmenopausal women. According to anti-doping authorities, the substance was detected in Passler's system along with a letrozolo metabolite and methanol.
Passler was among five Italian biathlon athletes selected for the Milan Cortina Games. She grew up in Anterselva, the locality where the Olympic biathlon events will take place. Her grandfather, Johann Passler, won two Olympic medals in biathlon at the 1988 Calgary Games and multiple World Championship medals.
The case echoes a previous incident involving letrozolo in Italian sports. In 2017, tennis player Sara Errani received a ten-month suspension after testing positive for the same substance. The International Tennis Federation determined that contamination had occurred through food—specifically tortellini prepared by her mother that contained the banned substance.
According to regulations, Passler may be replaced on the Italian Olympic team. The provisional suspension was issued by the National Anti-Doping Tribunal in response to violations of articles 2.1 and 2.2 of anti-doping rules. Authorities have not yet disclosed how the substance entered Passler's system.