He subsequently decided to resume training with Sandro Donati, a prominent anti-doping advocate who was the one who had flagged him as suspicious to WADA in 2012.

[2] Italian newspaper La Repubblica published an investigation on this affair, suggesting evidence indicating a plot to punish Schwazer and his trainer Donati for their whistleblowing efforts against state-sponsored doping and for exposing corruption in WADA and IAAF.

Schwazer won the bronze medal in the 50 km race at the 2005 World Championships in a national record time of 3:41.54 hours.

[7] Just prior to the IAAF World Race Walking Cup he won at the Coppa Città di Sesto San Giovanni.

[12] In May 2016, a negative doping control sample from January was flagged as anomalous by the Athlete Biological Passport and upon further inspection was found positive for a microdose of testosterone.

[14] Italian newspaper La Repubblica, however, produced a documentary with evidence, including police phone tapping, which cast serious doubt on the treatment of Schwazer and strongly suggests that the 2016 doping control sample was tampered with.

[15] In 2020 La Repubblica published a long-form article on this affair, outlining the dubious aspects of this doping offence that could be a plot.

[18] Schwazer was acquitted of all charges per non aver commeso il reato ("for not committing the offence") and the court accused WADA and the IAAF of samples tampering.

[18][2] However, his eight-year ban remains in place, because the WADA[19] rejected all accusations and the Lausanne federal court[20] finally refused to suspend the ongoing disqualification.