The Italian walker Alex Schwazer, provisionally suspended this Monday after a possible third positive for dopingpleaded innocent although he said that at 41 years old he has no intention of starting a new legal battle after serve an eight-year ban and return to competition in July 2024.
“This morning I received this accusation of being positive for erythropoietin (EPO). I have not taken anything, I am innocent, but I will not defend myself,” the athlete declared at a press conference after learning of the control notification.
This morning I received this accusation of positive for erythropoietin (EPO). I have not taken anything, I am innocent, but I will not defend myself
The new procedure against the marcher was initiated this Monday by the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)after EPO was detected in both the athlete’s blood and urine samples. The control was carried out within the framework of the German Walking Championships, a competition in which Schwazer participated.
In addition to the Immediate provisional suspension imposed on the athlete in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Codethe German agency confirmed that it filed a formal complaint with prosecutors under that country’s criminal anti-doping legislation.
Each one has a limit of resistance, a point to which they can go. I’ve already been very close a couple of times and I don’t want to experience these things again.
Schwazer appeared before the media in Bolzano (Italy) to announce that he will not fight legally on this occasion: “Everyone has a limit of resistance, a point to which they can go. I have already been very close a couple of times and I do not want to experience these things again,” he said, alluding to the long legal battle that he maintained after his previous positive in 2016, a case that the Italian justice system closed in 2021.
In fact, that same Italian court accused the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and World Athletics (WA) of sample manipulationbut both organizations denied it and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) refused to suspend his sanction.
The Italian was Olympic gold in the 50 km walk in Beijing 2008, as well as European champion in the 20 km walk in Barcelona 2010. He also achieved two world bronzes in the upper distance in Helsinki 2005 and Oslo 2007.
His career was marked by several doping cases. He was excluded from the 2012 London Olympics after testing positive for EPO and subsequently received a new eight-year sanction for a control carried out in 2016which prevented him from competing in Rio 2016 and frustrated any chance of reaching the Paris 2024 Games.
The Italian claimed to be victim of a conspiracy due to his criticism of institutional doping and Netflix released a four-part documentary about his fight to whitewash his name in 2023. Now his controversial sports career seems definitively over.
