01x03 - Episode 3

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CALICE
DECEMBER 31, 2015

On the night of December 31,
two men traveled from Austria.

The International Athletics Federation
had commissioned them

to carry out an anti-doping check
on Alex Schwazer in Italy on January 1.

At 7:00 a.m., I received
a phone call from my mother.

She said, "The anti-doping inspectors
are here for an anti-doping check."

Alex came up 20 minutes later.

And he just did it,
nothing special or unusual.

They did an anti-doping test on my urine,
and they also took a blood sample.

A full check, right?

After a couple of weeks,

the Cologne laboratory sent the results
to the International Athletics Federation.

Negative.

Urine negative.

ALEX SCHWAZER:
RUNNING FOR MY TRUTH

ROME
NOVEMBER 2015

In 2015, I was in Rome with Sandro.

He had become a friend.

A great friend.

I'm so grateful
for that whole time in Rome.

I was first and foremost
able to continue being a person.

These guys are asking you
to have a photo with them.

Got it.

Thank you!

Thank you. Congratulations.

I was in the Nomentano District.

It was almost like family.

I met a lot of people.

You can always find
something to talk about with people.

There's always something.

There's always this cheerful atmosphere.

Alex seemed really happy to me.

He was back in his element.

ALEX SCHWAZER'S MOTHER

He was in his passion, in his sport.

I was happy.

I wasn't seeing any other athletes.

Only normal people.

And that obviously really helped me

to avoid drifting back into seeing myself

primarily as an athlete.

Should I tell a joke?

Donati was like a father to him,
you know? Like family.

But let's not forget that he was living
in Rome, in a small studio, alone.

He trained on the streets of Rome.

The people in the neighborhood
adopted him.

ALEX'S LAWYER

They realized he was
a great guy deep down.

He was training in the fields,
on the streets,

without any kind of opportunities
for official validation,

since he was disqualified.

But rumor has it
he could fly like the wind.

PRESIDENT OF CONI

I decided to make him do another trial

for a longer distance of 20 km
in the neighborhood where we lived.

The Montesacro District.

Get ready.

Go, Alex!

It was great because the locals joined in.

Go, Alex!

Way to go!

So he did this 20 km trial
with me following on a bike,

and people lined up along the street.

There was great support.

There was some chaos too.

But they didn't bother me.

No.

They…

they enriched

the training I was already doing,

which is great.

I had asked some judges
to come and watch the test.

They said that Schwazer was using
the perfect technique.

I had expected us
to be attacked on that specific aspect.

Schwazer did the best world performance
of the year.

Basically, this confirmed he was
a rehabilitated athlete at a high level.

The only trainer

who really understood
how to get Alex Schwazer

to reach his full potential
was Sandro Donati.

He was able to globally address
the task of Alex Schwazer's training,

taking a biomechanical approach
to really help him improve.

Great pace.

He was soon attacked
by the usual suspects.

By Barra's friends.

By Barra himself.

They released photos to try and prove
that Schwazer was running, not walking.

Absolutely ridiculous.

There were certainly people hoping
that this odd couple would fail.

Managers, athletes.

They wanted Donati to fail,

even though he'd served
that federation or society for 30 years.

I mean, it's horrendous,
but that's how it was.

These guys were trying
to influence the judges,

to immediately create an opposition,
because the World Championships

were scheduled in just a few weeks.

The managers of the Federation
and the race judges…

ROME
MARCH 2016

…wanted to check
whether Schwazer was entitled or not

to enter these World Championships.

I did a good test with great ease,

one where everyone was super happy,

but I could see that he was a bit worried.

He told me he wasn't sure if Alex would
be allowed to compete in the World Cup.

TRAINER

On April 28, 2016,

Schwazer's disqualification ended.

Barra, with one of his typical letters,

wrote to the president
of the Athletics Federation.

"I suggest and implore
that you don't let him back in."

This extreme attempt by Barra

was intended to prevent Schwazer
from qualifying for the Olympics.

Sandro always tried to protect me.

He confronted him over this
without even telling me.

The Athletics Federation made
its own decision and invited him back.

But for those final few days

leading up to
the World Championships in Rome,

I was experiencing the anxiety
of now being a target.

But something far worse was brewing.

ROME
MAY 2016

Sandro Donati called me one morning,

and told me he had a story for me.

JOURNALIST

He starts to tell me the story.

At one point, I interrupt him and say,
"I'm not a sports journalist, Professor."

"I've been writing
about the Mafia for 40 years."

But he kept talking and talking.

On the same day
Barra wrote that open letter,

another letter was sent from abroad.

It was signed
by someone named Maria Zamora.

And it basically said,

"A German academic
has spoken out about you,

accusing you of being involved
in the Russian doping affair,

of being paid by the Russians,

and having a middleman,

an agent named Dmitry,
with whom you are in close contact."

I realized it wasn't a sports story.

It was a mafia story, a scary story.

Professor Donati said he was scared

for his life.

I was scared because the language
was different from what's used in sports.

So I thought it might be
some secret service thing,

or some assholes who were used to
threatening people and inciting fear.

He told me that things were happening.

He didn't tell me anything
other than that he was being attacked.

You accuse me
of being involved with the Russians.

You are sending me a message saying,

"We know it was you who drew attention

to the database
and the Russian involvement."

That database
would never have come to light

if I had not tested positive.

The criminal investigation into Schwazer,

conducted by the Chief Prosecutor
of Bolzano, Guido Rispoli,

led to the seizing of the database kept by
former federal doctor, Giuseppe Fischetto,

who worked with the Athletics Federation
to perform anti-doping checks.

When they discovered the database,

certain people, including Dr. Fischetto,

were wiretapped.

And it was clear from these recordings
that they were extremely concerned.

I hope the news isn't leaked.
There'd be an international outcry.

It provided very clear examples

that fully implicated the countries
that were heavily compromised

by the large number of athletes
who were outliers in the database.

Imagine if they got hold of the data
on the Russians, the Turks, or the others.

I am, as you know,
on the World Committee of the IAAF.

Anyway, this kraut has to be k*lled.

I was scared.

When you hear something like that,
it's upsetting. I was upset.

I said, "These guys aren't playing."

BERLIN

For some time,
my German colleague Hajo Seppelt

had been investigating Russian doping.

He had already published the testimonies
of several athletes.

Then suddenly,
someone sends him this valuable archive,

a database that blows the case wide open.

More than a thousand Russian athletes
across 30 categories

participated in a government
doping program,

a cover-up involving
institutions at all levels.

The doping scandal
engulfing Russian sports

resulted from the Schwazer investigation
conducted by the Bolzano judiciary.

That database, which I refer to
as the "database of shame,"

revealed the existence
of a parallel system

where doping was
neither fought nor sanctioned,

but merely recorded in an archive.

The powerful
International Athletics Federation,

which writes the rules
and oversees their enforcement,

was not following its own rules.

An earthquake
is gripping the world of athletics…

PARIS
DECEMBER 2, 2015

…following the reports
of the ARD and The Sunday Times.

It's incredible that
the International Athletics Federation,

which manages a million-dollar business
based on sponsorships and TV rights,

and also decides which countries
host the most important competitions,

also does the anti-doping checks.

So what could WADA do?

What was it? A paper tiger?

WADA'S GENERAL DIRECTOR

WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency,

was aware of the reports
about the Russian athletes.

It was also aware of the data
contained in that database

after Professor Donati sent it to them.

But it only started to act
after the expl*sive television coverage.

At that point, it nominated
an independent investigation commission.

MUNICH
JANUARY 14, 2016

Seeing that press conference,

I soon realized
it was a game of smoke and mirrors.

To many it seemed like
the commission appointed by WADA

had been very careful to limit

the devastating effects
of the investigative reports.

They had accurately limited the targets

to the former managers
of the Athletics Federation

and, naturally, against the Russians,
who were now doomed.

The cards were being reshuffled,
but the deck was the same.

Vice President Sebastian Coe
replaced President Lamine Diack,

who had just been arrested
for accepting Russian bribes.

Meanwhile, in the anti-doping department,

Thomas Capdevielle replaced
his boss, Gabriel Dollé.

Dollé had been caught with $50,000
hidden in his washing machine.

Thinking Sebastian Coe
and Capdevielle knew nothing

is clearly paradoxical.

It's like hiding behind a finger,

but the smallest finger, the pinky.

Professor Sandro Donati
only really has one problem.

He does not respect the number one rule

of the world's big athletic family,

which is silence.

There are other hotspots,

and we need to investigate
other countries,

such as Turkey and others,
some even European.

After the latest attack

he had launched against WADA,

all-out w*r broke out between him
and the bosses of World Athletics.

Suddenly, after 12 years
of highly intense collaboration,

I was being described as a sort of wannabe
boasting about my relationship with WADA.

This led to an injunction letter,

in which I was told

that I could not introduce myself
publicly in interviews

as a consultant for WADA.

I was baffled by this

because the role I had held in WADA was
not that of a consultant but much more.

The deeper I delved into this story,

the more I realized
why Professor Donati was scared.

Because he had entered a world

which, in many ways,
resembled the world I'd always dealt with.

Where if someone talks,
they are considered a disgrace.

And if they keep blabbing,

they are in danger of being eliminated,

whatever it takes.

ROME
MAY 8, 2016

On the day of the race, at 6:30 a.m.,
I received a phone call.

On the other end of the phone

was an international racewalking judge

who I knew.

Nicola Maggio.

Hello, it's Maggio.
I assume this isn't the best time.

Sandro, please, tell him once again,
right up until the race starts,

"Let Tallent win."

Tallent was the Australian holder
of the Olympic title.

Please tell him to let Tallent win. Okay?

Receiving a phone call of that kind

the night before a big race

can be terrifying and unsettling.

I thought that to have asked me explicitly

to manipulate the race,

this meant that if Alex didn't do it,
they'd disqualify him mid-race.

Good morning and happy Sunday.

The 2016 World Cup in Rome begins!

This will be a long 50 km race.

That race weighed heavily on me

because of the journey I had been on
to make it to that race.

I was finally returning to this world
after 30 years.

I was even wearing the national tracksuit
as the trainer of an athlete on the team.

In the past, I used to race
exclusively as an athlete.

In Rome, on the contrary,
I participated as a man.

The Rome competition was redemption

for all he had suffered through.

In fact, we all went to watch the race.

I must say that I was also emotional
because this return was a dream for Alex.

Nobody really knew exactly how

he would fare

in a real race.

He was happy to see me…

ALEX SCHWAZER'S WIFE

…but he was focused.

He was in his element.

Kathy was worked up.
She was really nervous.

Because she had never watched a race.

And 50 km is a lot.

It was so good to see him race again.

I said, "This is it. Finally."

ALEX SCHWAZER'S MANAGER

The race starts, and a group of seven
or eight racewalkers forms at the front.

Alex was very restrained
in the first part of the race.

To me, he almost seemed like a car
being forced to drive a bit too slowly

compared to the power
it could express in that moment.

Around the 25th kilometer,

the pace was so slow
that I started going a bit faster.

I didn't intend to attack.

And I left everyone else behind.

I realized that for him
the pace was really easy.

It would've taken a different kind
of opponent to keep up with Schwazer.

I felt like a young boy again,

who really felt the desire
to do this thing.

Suddenly, I saw him

a good 200 meters ahead of everyone else.

It was terrifying to be honest.

I said, "Alex, calm down."

And he said something like,
"This is like training for me."

I was enchanted.

It was amazing
to see him with such elegance.

I was sweating along with him.

I was feeling his struggle.

Well done, Alex!

At some point during the race, I thought,

"What a shame
this will all be over in an hour."

And he gradually put more distance
between himself and Jared Tallent.

The only thing I managed to do,

about ten kilometers
before the finish line,

was to tell him, "Alex,
there's no need to increase your lead."

"Take it easy."

In the final kilometer,

I thought about the Olympics
and how the last kilometer would feel.

Alex Schwazer comes back
eight years later to win

following a terrible story
that led to his disqualification

for three years and nine months.
He will have an incredible victory.

This is proof,

in view of the redemption journey
he's been on,

that he can achieve a great result

without resorting
to the shady doping rooms.

Three hours and 39 minutes,

with a standing ovation from many
en route to the finish line,

and surely plenty of emotion.

Three hours and 39 minutes in a 50 km race

is generally the kind of time
that wins the Olympics,

with a lead even.

Sandro was at the finish line,
and I took him into my arms.

I picked him up.

I felt so good
that I was able to lift him.

Alex Schwazer!

I had the satisfaction
of having relaunched this kid.

Impressive performance.

A great story.
Unique, difficult, tormented.

I believe in the man's revenge.

Anyway, long live the sport.

Alex Schwazer dominates
a world-class 50 km racewalk.

He has qualified for Rio 2016.

The victory was applauded in Italy,
but met with criticism elsewhere.

"Tallent was dubbed
the unluckiest athlete in the world

after finishing second-place
to the doped Schwazer,"

writes the Herald Sun.

I don't really have any respect for him.

I still believe he lied
and changed his story many times.

I just let certain things slide.

I will confront anyone.

But the person in front of me
must be acting in good faith, not bad.

Otherwise, it's pointless.

Alex had finished with huge energy margins

and was going so strong

that I decided to have him qualify
for the 20 km race too,

and do both at the Olympics.

We were leading in both races.

It was like we had too many options.

We had the numbers to say

that the 20 km and 50 km races
would have produced the same metal,

gold.

ROME
JUNE 21, 2016

June 21 was the last day in Rome

because Sandro and I had agreed
to do the last month in Vipiteno,

because of the temperature issue.

I left for South Tyrol
a day earlier than he did

because my objective was to follow Alex

until he left for the Olympics.

He was finally able to come home

and we could see each other.

We were so happy.

It should've been one
of the best days of our life.

I had Kathy at home now,

and I could train for the Olympics,

where I was now sure
to achieve two great results.

There was no doubt about it.

PRAGS
JUNE 21, 2016

On the afternoon of June 21,
I was in Prags.

I will always remember it

as a terrible memory.

The President of the Athletics Federation,
Alfio Giomi, called me.

He sounded upset, and he said,

"So do you know what happened?"

I didn't have the slightest idea
of what had happened.

-"You don't know?"
-"No, I don't know."

"Alex is positive."

It was a terrifying moment.

It's impossible to describe
the way I was feeling.

And I had to inform Alex.

So I had to call him and tell him.

He answers, "Yes, Prof?"
He was really happy.

"Look, you've tested positive."

Total silence.

I don't remember anything after that.

I can't even remember
how I got to my parents' house.

I can't remember.

Total blank.

Alex was in shock that evening.

And

I tried to talk to him, to figure out…

if someone had made a mistake.

Naturally, he had no answer.

And I was also lost for words.

A new storm brews for Alex Schwazer.

It was a series of nightmares.

It was a nightmare drive to Alex's house.

I was worried about getting there because

I thought he'd be feeling awful.

It was nighttime. I went the wrong way.

A complete mess. I was really…

I don't know

if I've ever felt so bad in my life.

I finally got to the mountains,
where they live.

And the first thing he said to me was,

"Prof, I can't do it this time."

At that point, I wasn't sure

if and how…

I would get through this.

The second time, but without any guilt.

I was really worried.

"Stop Alex Schwazer"

The order given today
by the International Athletics Federation,

who suspended the Italian racewalker
with immediate effect.

My first reaction was,

"He played us. Disgusting."

I'm upset.
Neither disappointed, nor angry.

PRESIDENT OF FIDAL

This kind of thing
really leaves a mark on you.

I was completely out of it.

I started trying
to go back over everything.

But nothing stood out.

I'm for a lifetime ban.

SWIMMER

I think a lot of athletes will agree.

This is a nightmare for me

because it's the worst thing
that could happen.

No tears or excuses
at Alex Schwazer's press conference.

Some suggest a "split personality."

VICTIM OR LIAR?

Someone doesn't want me
to go to the Olympics.

But I can promise you
that we will sort this out.

His trainer, Sandro Donati, has stuck
with him and will not abandon Alex.

This story sent him back into the abyss.

I thought, "They did a good job."

"How am I gonna explain to people
that this is not a relapse?"

I was expecting Sandro Donati to react
by standing with his athlete.

I think the idea of a betrayal
was unbearable for him.

I did not dope.

Either someone gave me this substance
in the days prior,

or the test was manipulated.

I remember the trouble I had
trying to explain it to myself.

I mean, I don't know what happened.

All I can say is that I didn't dope.

We knew with absolute certainty

that Alex had not been doping at all.

Because I had tested 10,000 samples.

Alex told me,
"All the tests I did were negative."

"It's impossible. They want to ruin me."

Seeing him like this was a terrible thing.

The news of Schwazer's positive result
came just a few days

before he was due to leave for Rio,
for the Olympics.

But the tests were done
at least six months prior,

precisely on January 1, 2016.

There were too many things
about this story that did not add up.

This, let's say, unbelievable
and absurd positive result was laughable.

They found
a minimal amount of testosterone.

This minimal amount
of testosterone totally clashed

with the lack of testosterone

in all the previous tests
and all the subsequent tests.

Only a madman
would use testosterone for doping

just once in a mini dose,

as you know it would have
no performative effect whatsoever.

Schwazer's samples were first analyzed
in the Cologne laboratory,

one of the most advanced in the world.

Then they were supposed to be destroyed.

But plot twist,

they needed a more accurate check.

For the Cologne lab,
those tests were as good as done.

Negative result.

End of story.

The International Federation,
however, thought otherwise.

And a few weeks later,

they decide to ask the laboratory
for a retest.

As if they had a revelation.

It's strange that someone
would want to retest a sample

that had come back as normal.

So, in our opinion,

it was like someone
was reading a crystal ball

and knew this artificial testosterone
was in the urine.

Schwazer's urine,

which first tested negative,

later became positive.

A true scientific miracle.

If I want an athlete
to test positive for testosterone,

the easiest thing to do is put
testosterone in their water bottle,

in a drink, some food, a coffee.

CALICE
DECEMBER 31, 2015

In the days leading up to the New Year,

Alex had been training
on the banks of the Eisack River,

where he had already had his car robbed,
but without any damage.

I did a long training session
on the morning of the 31st.

When he does a long training session,

he takes a water bottle
that's attached to his belt.

He leaves another full bottle in his car.

When he left his car for about an hour,
it could have been an opportunity.

A day or two before the test,

someone puts something
in his water bottle.

The perfect crime.

I did hope, in those days,

that there would soon be
an announcement in which maybe

the WADA, the lab, the IAAF
would apologize for an error in the test.

So we decided to keep on training

during those horrendous days.

Alex, on the one hand,
was extremely discouraged,

on the other,
he was trying to remain hopeful.

Go.

He was training every day,

without knowing
if there was any point or not.

The training I did in that situation
in that incredible state of mind,

I don't even have the words to describe

what I was feeling as I walked.

He would often stop all of a sudden
and start…

crying. He couldn't even cry.

He had this feeling of suffocation
in his chest. Then he'd start off again.

I'd say, "Alex, we can't go on like this.
This is t*rture."

He'd say, "No, I have to train.
Because if I don't train…"

So the poor guy was torn apart,
but trying to go on.

That's when I started
appreciating the fortune

that I had found in misfortune.

How fortunate I was that he

completely believed in me,

that he supported me.

Because on my own…

How do you get through
something like that alone?

There are many obscure aspects
to the Schwazer case.

The Italian racewalker's staff put on
a united front before the TV cameras

to defend his innocence
to the whole sports world.

We have tried to keep hope alive

by continuing to train,

like innocent people.

At times, he'd stop suddenly and ask,
"Prof, why did they do this to me?"

We've spent so many days, me on the bike…

and him walking.

And I don't know what to tell him.

Because this boy,

after making a mistake,

got back in the game with a courage

that I'd like to see
how many of us adults have.

Donati was…

I'd say destroyed, but also

beside himself, absolutely furious.

I've always succeeded.

I don't know if I will this time
because this is professional fraud,

but we're gonna try.

Schwazer's positivity, at some point,
becomes a huge case,

in Italy and in the world.

Someone thought
his bottle had been switched out.

Others quickly realized

that his urine had been manipulated.

Early in the afternoon on December 16,

the International Athletics Federation

hired a small German company, GQS,
from Stuttgart,

to perform the January 1 test.

Why so early?

The time between the decision to perform
a test and the time it is performed

is usually a few days.

Certainly not 15 days.

If we consider the timeline,
it becomes clear that the decision…

BOLZANO
DECEMBER 16, 2015

…to perform this test was made
after the hearing where Alex testified

against the doctors of the International
Athletics Federation, the IAAF,

especially against Fischetto,
the Italian doctor.

Fischetto screwed up.
He had the values in his database.

All he had to do was lift his finger.
But he never did anything.

It's incredible that
Schwazer testified that morning,

and then later that same morning,

an order was made to set him up,

by carrying out a surprise test
two weeks later.

I just need to walk, and that's it.
Talk? Everyone can talk.

While I was working on this story,
I kept thinking about the date January 1.

How did it make sense
to perform an anti-doping check

at dawn on the first day of the year.

CALICE
JANUARY 1, 2016

Personally, I had never been checked
on January 1 before.

It's a day when people might like
to spend an extra hour or two in bed, no?

If it had been any other day,

that urine would have been taken
straight to the Cologne laboratory.

But New Year's Day isn't
just any other day,

and the Cologne laboratory was closed.

As such, before getting to Cologne,
Schwazer's urine went to Stuttgart.

It was taken to the office
of the inspector

who had performed the test
a few hours earlier.

According to the official records,

the inspector put Schwazer's urine
in his office in Stuttgart

on January 1 at 3:00 p.m.

The next day, January 2, at 6:00 a.m.,

he hand-delivered it to the courier,

who then transported it
to the Cologne laboratory for testing.

This is the seemingly legitimate
chain of custody outlined in the report.

Upon digging deeper,

it turns out that things didn't exactly go
how they were described in the report.

The inspector did not give the sample
at 6:00 a.m. on January 2 to the courier,

who then transported it to Cologne.

The inspector never met that courier.

Various tests are kept
in the office in Stuttgart.

There were at least six or seven people
who had the keys to access that office.

Thus, this whole chain of custody,

designed to protect the athlete
during the process, was violated.

The inspector reached his office
in Stuttgart at 3:00 p.m.,

and called his manager.

The manager told him there was no need
to return the next day

to hand the test over to the courier.

He could leave Schwazer's test sample
with the car keys in the office.

So that's what he did.

He wrote his report,
put down the keys, and left.

So he left at 3:00 p.m. on January 1
and never saw the urine again.

But the custody report says

that he delivered the urine by hand
on January 2.

And you write it on the 1st?

That means the report is false.

It was written early,

so the check had to be canceled.

Because the procedure

is invalidated.

Schwazer's sample remained
in this office for a good 15 hours.

So it seems quite clear to me

that anything could have happened
in those 15 hours.

And in my opinion, something did happen.

Alex Schwazer wants to go to Rio.
To do this, he needs to demonstrate

that the urine sample suspiciously taken
on New Year's Day was manipulated.

This hypothesis may be credible.
It may be credible.

There are too many obscure aspects
to this story.

Obscure or perfectly clear.

They are claiming there was a scheme

to use the Tyrolean walker
to sabotage his trainer Donati

for his lifelong fight against doping
and for reporting the strange links

between corrupt IAAF officials
and Russian Athletics.

This is a huge, serious accusation.

If someone manages to prove
that Alex Schwazer was framed,

the anti-doping system collapses.

Now he needs to run not with his legs
but with certified documents and appeals.

But very little time remains.

July 18 is the final deadline
for registering for the Rio Games.

Alex wanted to do all he could
to prove his innocence,

and there was hope.

Until the end, there was hope.

And that's what depended on us.

Even if we get more bullshit
from the sports system tomorrow,

this counts for your whole life, Alex.

You have to be the man
who turned his life around.

The only thing we could do
was bring the case to the Lausanne CAS,

the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

CALICE
JULY 27, 2016

-Did that just arrive?
-Just now.

What do they say?

-Gerhard?
-Hello?

Yes, hello.

So they said
that they aren't suspending us,

but that they want to issue
an emergency judgment with a hearing.

Yes.

To decide before the Olympics
and finish this once and for all.

The Lausanne CAS granted us
a proper hearing as we'd requested.

Because we had said,
"Don't judge us this way."

"Let's meet in court,

and in court have the accusers and us
defend ourselves in front of a jury."

If that's the case, we may still be able
to register him for the Olympics.

I don't know. We have to figure it out.

-Where's Alex?
-Alex is here.

He can hear what you're saying.

I don't know if Alex, who is listening,
has the ba*ls…

Yes.

We have to keep training.

There's a 50% chance
of restoring his participation.

Listen, Gerhard,
let's make sure that's the case.

-Because you understand--
-It is the case.

Because training is hard
for Alex right now.

He's been phenomenal up to now.

Let's say, as things seem right now,
it's 50-50.

It was his dream to participate in Rio.

He wanted to show people that he can win

even without doping.

-Okay. Speak to you tomorrow.
-Bye.

If everything goes well

and I run strongly at the Olympics,

that'll shut everyone up.

Two months like this,
just to survive, you feel me!

MONTE CARLO

Instead, at that point,

the International Athletics Federation,
represented by Capdevielle,

who was completely oblivious
to the Russian doping issue,

he objected.

They said, "No, we need a few days
to study the documents."

What documents? You have them all!

LAUSANNE

And so, with Capdevielle's request,
the CAS caved and said

that the hearing would be held
in Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro?

ROME
AUGUST 5, 2016

So we were stuck in a situation

in which we had to rush
to get everything ready for the journey.

I understand what's happening.

But must you do all this so last minute,
right before the competition?

Considering he planned to do two races.

It's perfectly fine
to do it two weeks earlier,

without triggering this crazy rush
from Italy to Brazil.

We strongly advised Alex against it

also because preparing
a proper defense strategy in a few days

is not easy.

I wanted to go.

Because I had endured
those ridiculous weeks

training without ever giving up.

-Hello, Gerhard.
-Alex.

Everyone was against it.

Sandro was against it.
Gerhard was against it.

Kathy wasn't, though,
because she has always supported me.

He asked me if he should go to Rio or not.

And I said, "Go. You have to try."

Alex, rightly so, from his point of view,
said, "If I give up, I won't go."

"If there's a one in a thousand chance,
I'll take it."

We went to Rio with the spirit

of people who were about
to lay their heads on a guillotine.

Even if there's only a small chance,

I want to try.

I want to try

because I am innocent.