Sandro Donati, coach of banned Olympic champion race walker Alex Schwazer hopes their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport will see the Italian athlete's bids to overturn the ban succeed and allow him to participate in the Rio Games.

While the attention of the world's media remains fixed on Russia's athletes and who will - and who will not - be allowed to compete at the Rio Olympics, the fate of an Italian athlete, Alex Schwazer, also hangs in the balance.

Schwazer was the Olympic 50-kilometre walk champion in 2008 before being excluded from the 2012 Games in London after testing positive for the banned substance EPO he received a ban for three years and nine months. After his May return this year, he stunned everyone to win the world crown in Rome.

But in a further twist, Schwazer again tested positive for testosterone in January - and has received a provisional ban.

SOUNDBITE (Italian) Sandro Donati, Alex Schwazer's coach:

"There was a (drug) test on New Year's Day (2016). Okay. But a test on New Year's Day involves a little detail - the Cologne anti-doping laboratory is closed. It is a bank holiday. This means that whoever ordered the test was well aware that they would have kept the sample until 2nd January."

The Italian's only hope of competing at this year's Olympics now lies in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Rio, who will hear his fast-tracked case next Monday just 11 days before the 50-kilometre walk is due to take place. -

SOUNDBITE (Italian) Sandro Donati, Alex Schwazer's coach:

"Despite (Schwazer) going through a period of crisis he has managed to build up a sort of mental barrier around himself and in spite of everything that has happened he has been able to train in the last few weeks. I think that if we have a positive result with the (Court of Arbitration for Sport) hearing in Rio Schwazer's opponents will have to pay serious attention."

Sandro Donati, a renowned anti-doping scientist and author, is adamant that Schwazer - has been the victim of a huge injustice.

Schwazer's future now lies with CAS- and its willingness to accept Donati's version of events.