Author: Stefano La Sorda
Stefano La Sorda
Stefano La Sorda is the creator of this website and writes about racewalking since 2000. He is FIDAL “Instructor” since 1997 and he was also a member of local organizing committee in international competition of Lugano Trophy “Memorial Mario Albisetti” from 2006 to 2015, holding various positions. From 1993 to 2008 he was competitive racewalker, also wearing the jerseys of track and field clubs CUS Genoa and Italian Navy; with the latter club he obtained in 1999 the silver medal on 50Km walk in the Italian Championships U23. He is national level race walking judge for the Swiss Race Walking Federation since 2015, is part of the international panel of race walking judges of the EMA (European Masters Athletics) and he obtained the qualification of World Athletics international race walking judge at SILVER level in 2023.

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How is judged loss of contact in racewalking: clarifications

Posted on 15 May, 202531 March, 2026 by Stefano La Sorda

Every time a race walking competition is discussed again in a well-known Italian newspaper or in posts and comments on social media, the amount of incorrect concepts used is amplified when it reaches the generic sports fan, who perhaps thinks he knows all the sports rules and trusts what he reads from others, but in front of the "heel and toe" world gives in to the banality of imaginative and improper reasoning: all to the detriment of the image of the discipline of racewalking. Here are some cl...

Schwazer: the urgent request also rejected by Swiss Federal Court

Posted on 14 May, 202113 March, 2026 by Stefano La Sorda

The Swiss Federal Court rejected, by decree of 11 May 2021, the request for urgent suspension of the disqualification filed by the lawyers of the former South Tyrolean athlete. In detail, the Court held that "there are no conditions" for a suspension of the disqualification or for other urgent measures. Therefore, only the request for review of the sporting process remains in place, for which a few days ago WADA and World Athletics had obtained an extension until 7 June for sending of their brie...

The truth is that Schwazer was not acquitted. What happens now?

Posted on 23 February, 202121 March, 2021 by Stefano La Sorda

Criminal doping charges against Alex Schwazer have been dismissed, the GIP (Judge of preliminary investigations) of Bolzano, Walter Pelino, has closed his position in the order of 87 pages that he did kick up a fuss not just for the alleged urine manipulation that is believed “proven with a high degree of rational probability”, but also for the direct attack on WADA and World Athletics. Those who speak of "sentence"in favor of Schwazer are wrong because in reality there was not even a trial. FI...

Doping DSQ assigns to Italy and Marco De Luca the gold of Euro Cup 2015

Posted on 10 February, 202110 February, 2021 by Stefano La Sorda

Results have not yet been updated but there is little to formalize: Italy and Marco De Luca go to team and individual gold in the racewalk 50km of European Cup 2015 in Murcia (ESP). The russian walker Ivan Noskov had already been disqualified in 2016 for 4 years due to positivity at the EPO, but the disqualification had only canceled his results from 2 June 2015 to 15 July 2015, leaving valid the first place obtained in the European Cup in May of 2015. Justice, however, arrived, albeit with del...

Hoax of plot against Schwazer throws mud on Gallitelli and NADO Italy

Posted on 23 October, 20202 April, 2021 by Stefano La Sorda

This news has not yet been translated. Translations in English are added after publication in Italian. Unfortunately, sometimes we fail to be timely. If you need this article translated into English you can send a request to our contacts.

TAS-CAS reply to false accusations of Italian newspapers about Schwazer case

Posted on 23 October, 20201 May, 2021 by Stefano La Sorda

TAS-CAS of Lausanne reply to the false accusations by the italian newspaper "La Repubblica" about Schwazer case. In the journalistic investigation entitled "The glory and the mud" by journalists Carlo Bonini, Attilio Bolzoni and Fabio Tonacci, the Sports Arbitration Tribunal was accused of having presided in 2016 in Rio a "farce trial" against Alex Schwazer. However, the press office of the TAS-CAS replied to a simple e-mail from us with a copy of the article from "La Repubblica" attached. An e...

Prof. Giardina: “Schwazer DNA urine is not anomalous, it’s just his”

Posted on 24 September, 202025 September, 2020 by Stefano La Sorda

In the general euphoria transmitted "to unified networks" by the RCS editorial group (big italian newspaper "Gazzetta dello sport" and "Corriere della sera" that in the last week have claimed in one way the conspiracy theory against Schwazer), newspapers and televisions that talk about the case have given almost no space to the voice of World Athletics (formerly IAAF), the offended part against the former South Tyrolean athlete still disqualified for doping until 2024 and under criminal investig...

Judgment compared to athlete performance. Graphic analysis.

Posted on 15 October, 201924 October, 2023 by Stefano La Sorda

The Judges Summary sheet (JSS) is a document also created to give directions to the athlete and his coach, so as to better understand the work of RW judges. We remember some of the IAAF directives (from publication “Race Walking - A Guide to Judging and Organising”) about the JSS: - is the official score sheet of the judging of the race, ACCURACY IS ESSENTIAL; - should be distributed to other relevant people such as Technical Delegate(s) and other Delegates, LOC, Teams (so athletes) and Media...

Letter to IAAF President Sebastian Coe: #savetheracewalking

Posted on 8 March, 20199 March, 2019 by Stefano La Sorda

This is the letter from me to IAAF President Sebastian Coe. I hope with my heart he can help us. Save the race walking, we want racewalking 20km & 50Km, both women and men. Dear Mr President Sebastian Coe Stefano La Sorda speaking, former italian racewalker, member (now former) for many years of LOC in Lugano Trophy (international racewalking event in march every year), now racewalking coach and national racewalking judge in Suisse. My words will be sincere and even if I'm critical, I c...

Racewalking sold off at the olympic “marketplace”. IAAF RW Committe proposes change race distances (deleting 50Km and 20Km)

Posted on 24 January, 201925 January, 2019 by Stefano La Sorda

The fight to save the racewalking is not over yet. After the attempt in April 2017 (submerged by the protests of racewalker all over the world), the IAAF RW Committee is again proposing to remove the 50Km and 20Km. An email from IAAF RW Committee was sent on January 10 to the Member Federations of each country (with an invitation to circulate among athletes and coaches and an invitation to sent answers and suggestions to luis.saladie@iaaf.org by January 28), claiming that now <<is the tim...