Alex Schwazer will request the B sample analysis regarding his positive test for erythropoietin (EPO), abandoning his previous condition that required testing an unsealed container of residual urine, according to an interview given by his lawyer, Gerhard Brandstätter, to the Südtiroler Tageszeitung. The decision marks a reversal for the 41-year-old Italian race walker, who tested positive following a victory at the German 50-kilometer championships on April 26, 2026, in Kelsterbach.
The Reversal on the B Sample and Dropped Conditions
For months, Schwazer and his legal team maintained that they would only accept the opening of the B sample if German anti-doping authorities also tested what they termed a “sample C.” That material consisted of residual urine collected at the April 26 event and handed over privately to Sandro Donati, Schwazer’s former coach and mentor, who stored it away from official custody protocols. According to reports from il Dolomiti, the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) promptly rejected that demand, stating that the World Anti-Doping Code does not recognize private samples lacking a proper chain of custody. Following that refusal, Schwazer initially stated he would skip the B sample analysis entirely, citing a deep distrust in anti-doping institutions.
At the beginning of the summer, the 2008 Beijing Olympic champion in the 50 km declared: I am innocent, I have not taken EPO or other doping substances, but this time I will not defend myself, I do not have the strength and energy to do it
, adding that his priorities were family, health, and work, and that he had no intention of repeating the lengthy, stressful legal battles that followed the unjust and unfounded accusation prior to the Rio Olympics. He further specified that he could not risk his health for legal battles that would drain him psychologically, stating that he had no faith in the system.
Procedural Hurdles Under Anti-Doping Rules
Despite the defense’s pivot, the timeline for requesting a B sample has long since passed. With months having elapsed since the initial notification on June 23, 2026, when it was communicated that he returned a non-negative result after clocking what was then the best European season performance in the race walking marathon with a time of 3 hours, 1 minute and 55 seconds, legal experts point out that the procedural window closed long ago, leaving the legal basis for opening the B sample at this stage unclear.
The German laboratory reported that both the initial urine and blood samples returned non-negative results for EPO, which is classified as an S.2 substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list. For Schwazer, who previously served a disqualification following a controversial positive test ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics—a case that ended with a criminal court dismissal because “the fact does not exist” while sports justice maintained his ban—this represents a potential third major doping case of his career following earlier issues in 2012 and 2016.
Next Steps in Germany and Italy
As the legal teams deal with the expired procedural deadlines, Schwazer faces parallel scrutiny on two fronts, awaiting sporting judgment—facing up to twenty years of disbarment given his double recidivism—and criminal proceedings in Germany.
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