Schwazer sent home by the Italian team for doping

[millyskate]

http://www.lequipe.fr/Athletisme/Act...-dopage/304193
I believe this is the athlete who was/is Carolina Kostner's boyfriend...

[Celine82]

But EPO?! Are people seriously still hoping they won't get caught on that?!

Alex was in Nice to support Caro and celebrate with her, and she was apparently planning to go to London to support him.

[Domshabfan]

this is really sad, i did not see this one coming.

[pingu]

Another article in Italian:
http://www.gazzetta.it/Olimpiadi/06-...54682919.shtml

I'm gonna try to do a quick translation of it:

Schwazer positive at the Epo test
"I did a mistake, my career is over"

Coni (the Italian national Olympic committee) has cicked him out of the games after founding him positive for the markers or metabolytes of the Epo. he should have competed at the 50km walking race on Saturday morning at 10am. The Alto Adige-born had given up to competing in the 20km walking because of a flu.

The Italian sport is schocked: the Olympic athlete Alex Schwazer has been proved positive to an anti-doping control made the past 30 June. The news arrived in Londn though a statement published in the afternoon on the CONI website. It is a desruptive new for the Italian athletics, that was relying on the walker for a medal. The Wada letter that has been sent to the CONI is about Epo markers or metabolytes found after an unexpected test taken during the pre-Olympic period. Now we are waiting for further tests [don't know how to say controanalisi in english. it's another test you take on the same sample, to verify that the result you had the first time is actually correct]. "I did a mistake, my career is over" the athlete said.

[Braulio]

And he was the Olympic champion right? this really makes me lost respect for his achievements because it taints his career, sad but he made a mistake

[pingu]

And he was the Olympic champion right?

Yes

[Cachoo]

Re the American judo athlete and this guy: Even though they are sent home they still were able to experience winning a spot on their respective teams, going to the opening ceremonies and meeting lots of athletes from all over. Someone who didn't cheat may never have the opportunity.
Why can't they catch them before they ever leave their homes?

[kirkbiggestfan]

He did a mistake..he forgot to take the masking drugs he has been taking for years!

[Braulio]

He did a mistake..he forgot to take the masking drugs he has been taking for years!

harsh but maybe true

[pingu]

Re the American judo athlete and this guy: Even though they are sent home they still were able to experience winning a spot on their respective teams, going to the opening ceremonies and meeting lots of athletes from all over. Someone who didn't cheat may never have the opportunity.
Why can't they catch them before they ever leave their homes?

Alex has not even arrived in London. He is in Italy now.

[Garden Kitty]

Re the American judo athlete and this guy: Even though they are sent home they still were able to experience winning a spot on their respective teams, going to the opening ceremonies and meeting lots of athletes from all over. Someone who didn't cheat may never have the opportunity.
Why can't they catch them before they ever leave their homes?

Re the judo athlete, according to the WADA Prohibited Substance list, THC is only a banned substance for in competition testing. If he had been tested before the event, and THC was found, it wouldn't be a positive test and he wouldn't have been banned. However, per the USADA warning in the athlete guide:

Athletes should be aware that cannabinoids may be retained in fat tissue following chronic use and may be detected weeks after use. There have been situations where sudden weight loss has caused cannabinoid metabolites stored in fat to be released in detectable levels. USADA strongly advises athletes not to use cannabinoids at any time.

[Ziggy]

Tsk tsk, there is a doping thread already.

Merge please, admins?

[loulou]

Schwazer was reportedly training incredibly hard. Recently, he was in St. Moritz, and in Oberstdorf, so he could be by his girlfriend.

The test was done in Oberstdorf, on July 30. Schwazer never left for London, much less arrived there.

His coach said he sacrificed a lot of his family time to train him, he had no idea what he was doing, he's now devasted, also questions his coaching skills to some extent, and has no desire whatsoever to speak with the guy any time soon.

Schwazer says he did it all on his own.

Personally, I don't believe for a split second that an athlete gets into this all alone, an no one by his side knows until the international test commette shows up.

Irony: apparently, in the late 90s Schwazer left a promising riding career because the enviroment there had too much doping going around. We hear this, and the person sitting next to me says: "Of course, he went to a cleaner environment, to better benefit from the doping".

[milanessa]

Tsk tsk, there is a doping thread already.

Merge please, admins?

Where?

[Cachoo]

Alex has not even arrived in London. He is in Italy now.

I feel a little bit better now.

[allezfred]

Where?

http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=84277

I'm going to leave this thread as is though given the skating connection.

So disappointing.

[Karina1974]

Re the American judo athlete...

Yeah, I heard about that, via the local news because he is from my area. I wonder what the food was he claims to have eaten that was laced with pot?

I feel sorry for his coach. Jason Morris was an OSM in 1992, and had two athletes on this OG team and, IIRC, has put several athletes on previous OG teams.

[Mayra]

But EPO?! Are people seriously still hoping they won't get caught on that?!

Alex was in Nice to support Caro and celebrate with her, and she was apparently planning to go to London to support him.

I don't get it either.

He let his family, friends and supporters down and most importantly he let himself down. It also calls into question his legacy. What a shame.

[overedge]

Irony: apparently, in the late 90s Schwazer left a promising riding career because the enviroment there had too much doping going around. We hear this, and the person sitting next to me says: "Of course, he went to a cleaner environment, to better benefit from the doping".

[AragornElessar]

Yeah, I heard about that, via the local news because he is from my area. I wonder what the food was he claims to have eaten that was laced with pot?

I feel sorry for his coach. Jason Morris was an OSM in 1992, and had two athletes on this OG team and, IIRC, has put several athletes on previous OG teams.

According to CTV's report on Primetime, it was the ever popular Pot Brownie.

Of all the idiotic things to do...

As far as the Italian racewalker, as has been already said, his mistake was forgetting to take the masking agent. I feel for Carolina and his Family and Friends, but have no sympathy at all for him. He knew what he was doing.