Alex Schwazer: “I hope you treat me fairly”

“Thank you for coming. I never would have believed that I would give a press conference about doping. None of this is easy for me. Now I am here to tell you why this error occurred. I'll be honest with you, and I hope you'll treat me fairly too. “I can’t do more than ask you for forgiveness and tell me why I doped myself,” said Schwazer right at the start of the media spectacle, which was attended by around 100 journalists and almost 20 camera teams from all over Italy.

“Anyone who saw me recently knew that I wasn’t feeling particularly well. As you know, I wanted to end my career back in 2010 because I no longer felt any emotions. At the end of last year I had to make a decision – with the Olympic Games in mind. I have to admit that I didn't know what I was doing anymore. “Also because I put myself under pressure,” said the 27-year-old. Schwazer had great expectations and wanted to become even better than he already was. “That's why I resorted to doping and I can only repeat myself and ask for forgiveness. I would like to bring clarity to this matter and hope that you will represent my statements truthfully.”

Bought EPO in Turkey in September 2011

Schwazer made the decision to dope himself. “I didn’t tell anyone about my plans. Neither my parents nor my girlfriend. It was a matter that only concerned me. “I didn’t want to get anyone into trouble,” said the walker.

Alex Schwazer read in a newspaper on Wednesday that it was impossible to order EPO over the Internet. He could assure that everything can be done over the Internet. “So I traveled to Turkey alone. Last September I flew to Antalya. I bought the EPO in a pharmacy there. I had 1500 euros with me and changed the money into Turkish lira. The pharmacist gave me the stuff I wanted. Then I continued training as before. I had my last anti-doping test on July 13th. After that date I started injecting myself with the EPO. For me, these three weeks were the most difficult of my life. Being alone in a room, knowing what you were going to do next, was unbearable.”

First injection on July 13th

They say that doping makes you better. For Schwazer, this time was hell. “I got up at two, three, four in the morning because I knew there could have been an inspection at six. I had to lie to my girlfriend. And I got sick because I'm not a doctor. I was ready. And that’s why I didn’t start the 20 km,” said Schwazer.

Every day it got worse. Schwazer gave himself the last injection on July 29th, then returned home to get his medical card and a pair of running shoes. “It was my mother’s birthday that day. On July 30th I had a check-up at my house. I could have told my mother not to open the door. I could have skipped a doping test. But I didn't have the strength to keep lying. I wanted this all to end. I took the test knowing it would be positive. After a week the official findings came. I threw everything away. If they hadn't caught me, I wouldn't have gone to London at all," said Schwazer and then burst into tears. After a moment of composure, Kalcher continued: “I have thrown away years of training and many sacrifices that I have made. But now I’m happy that it’s all over.”

Schwazer then willingly answered the journalists' questions.

Schwazer about Carolina Kostner “It wasn't easy for me to lie to Carolina all the time. I just wanted to keep her out of these things because she has nothing to do with it. Our lives as athletes are fundamentally different. It wasn't until June that she decided she was going to continue at all. She has been training again since July and for this reason she will skip the first part of the program. She does figure skating because she enjoys it. Me, because I was good at it. The difference between us both is this. Carolina is a fantastic person (Schwazer starts crying again). She said she was sorry for me. I finally want a normal life. I didn't like the sport anymore; I had to subordinate too many things to it. My girlfriend is important to me, my family. These are the things in life that count.”

Schwazer about Dr. Ferrari

“I know Doctor Ferrari. I met him in 2009. In 2010 I trained alone. I asked him if he could give me technical tips. I asked him to put together training tables for me. But that was it. Otherwise I was clean. I haven't heard him since 2011, when I heard about the problems with the professional cyclists. I met him five or six times and we only talked about training and programs. On May 1st 2010 I competed in a race in Sesto San Giovanni. Afterwards we met on the motorway in Verona Nord. For the first time. Ten days later I competed in the World Cup in Mexico and he gave me tips for training. In Italy many things happen by chance, for example how the training should go. Very few people know exactly how to do this. And he is one of them. There were no alternatives for me. If you think about the Russians, half of their team tested positive for doping. Should I contact her? Or the Germans, where ex-GDR trainers are in charge? He prepared Armstrong, the best professional cyclists in the world. If they had only wanted doping, they would have gotten it elsewhere.”

Schwazer about pressure “I don’t want to defend anyone. I want to atone for what I did wrong all by myself. I would have no problem saying I did this and that. But I got these medicines in Turkey. I want to tell everything so I can finally be free. Asks my mother how many times I've said I've had enough. Everyone told me, no, keep going, you're the best. You can't imagine how much you have to endure to compete in a race. And if you screw it up, you're an idiot. I don't want to be judged for a single race. I wanted to do the 20 and 50 kilometer races. The problem was the 20-kilometer race, where you have to be quick in the final part.”

Schwazer about the doping tests from 2008 “I hope that my doping samples from the past few years will be analyzed again. It's best to do it as quickly as possible. Each doctor must then declare that no traces of doping can be found in the samples. These results should then also be published."

Schwazer about the Italian athletics association FIDAL

“I don’t want to comment on the FIDAL athletics association. I don't want to offend anyone, I just want to open a new page in my life. Ask other athletes what they say and put two and two together.”

Schwazer about the Carabinieri

“I will hand in my service ID and service pistol in Bologna tomorrow. If the Carabinieri sports group hadn't existed, I wouldn't have been able to practice my sport at all. The sports groups are saving Italian sport. My decision disappointed many people, including the Carabinieri.”

Schwazer about his life after sport “I can’t say how people should judge me. I can only repeat that I made a big mistake. I hope that in the future people will judge me based on what I do. I know that everything comes in its time. I would now like to open a new page. I’m not afraid to go to work every day.”

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Alex Schwazer: “I hope you treat me fairly”

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