MILAN - The Italian Olympic Committee's (CONI) anti-doping prosecutor on Friday requested a ban of four years and three months for Olympic figure skating bronze medallist Carolina Kostner.
Carolina Kostner of Italy performs during her women's singles free skating event at the world figure skating championships in Saitama on March 29, 2014
The 2012 world champion is primarily charged with assisting her former boyfriend and Olympic race walker gold medallist Alex Schwazer as he attempted to evade a doping control in Oberstdorf, Germany in July 2012, and for her lack of cooperation while being interviewed by investigators.
"CONI's anti-doping prosecutor has ordered the referral of Carolina Kostner to the second chamber of the National Anti-Doping Tribunal of CONI... with the recommendation she serve a ban of four years and three months," a CONI statement said on Friday.
Five-time European champion Kostner, 27, is not competing this season after winning Olympic bronze in Sochi.
Italian Schwazer won Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 but was prevented from defending his title in London four years later after testing positive in the lead-up to the Games for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin).
Having quit athletics, he was handed a three and a half year ban by CONI in April 2013. A report in Gazzetta dello Sport said Schwazer now risks a further four-year ban for further infringements of the World Anti-Doping Code.
CONI's net has been spread wide amid the ongoing investigation into Schwazer led by prosecutor Tammaro Maiello.
The former athlete's ex-coach Michele Didoni, who won the world 20km title in Gothenburg in 1995, is also facing sanctions after he refused a summons by CONI last month to give evidence on Schwazer.