Former Olympic champ Schwazer plea bargains jail term

(ANSA) Bolzano, December 22 - Alex Schwazer, the 2008 Olympic 50 km walk champion, has had a plea bargain offer of an eight-month suspended prison term and a 6,000 euro fine accepted by judges who convicted him for doping. Schwazer, 29, said he was quitting when he was banned from competition until January 2016 after testing positive for illegal blood-booster EPO just before the London Olympics.
    However he has subsequently returned to training and hopes to take part in the Rio Olympics in 2016.
    Doping is a criminal offence in Italy and Bolzano prosecutors investigating the case have uncovered an alleged network of people who were allegedly complicit in Schwazer's illegal drug use.
    Schwazer confessed to doping but continued to maintain that he was clean when he won the Olympic title in Beijing.