Lance Armstrong Stripped of ALL Titles + Banned For life

[HongWu]

Atleast the americans have the courage to punish one of their own superstars

If they really had courage they would execute him or at least give him a 50 year drug sentence.

 

[harpoon]

Yes, he cheated..he cheated death. That bigger cheating than all other cheating.

 

[ephone]

U.S. always jumps up and down and talks about athletes from other countries for drug use. Actually, its own athletes are actually the biggest drug abusers, just look at those scandals for every professional sports in U.S. and those non-professional athletes as well.

USADA says it will ban Lance Armstrong, strip 7 Tour titles​

Declaring "enough is enough," Lance Armstrong says he will not fight charges brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a stunning decision that will cause him to be stripped of the seven Tour de France titles that turned him into an American hero.

USADA confimed late Thursday it will strip him of all results since Aug. 1, 1998 and ban him from all competition for life. Armstrong said his decision did not mean he would accept USADA's sanctions. His lawyers threatened a lawsuit if USADA proceeded, arguing the agency must first resolve a dispute with the International Cycling Union over whether the case should be pursued.

"It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes," USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. "This is a heartbreaking example of how the win-at-all-costs culture of sport, if left unchecked, will overtake fair, safe and honest competition."

In walking away, the 40-year-old Armstrong cited a familiar defense: he has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He said his decision is not an admission of guilt, but a choice to devote more time to his family and his Livestrong foundation for cancer survivors. Armstrong overcame advanced cancer just a few years before his string of Tour de France victories.

"I know who won those seven Tours," Armstrong said in a statement. "The toughest event in the world where the strongest man wins. Nobody can ever change that. Especially Travis Tygart."

Armstrong said he will "commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France title: serving people and families affected by cancer, especially those in underserved communities."

Jeffery C. Garvey, board member of Livestrong, says the charity supports his decision and looks forward to his future work. "Lance's legacy in the cancer community is unparalleled," Garvey said in a statement.

The news caught many riders at the USA Pro Cycling race in Colorado off guard. Armstrong's entire RadioShack-Trek squad declined comment. The team, returning to their hotel from dinner, hurried into an elevator.

Bissell Pro Cyling team member Ben Jacques-Maynes, who has raced as a pro in the United States since 2002, called it "huge" news.

"This is bigger than Floyd (Landis), Tyler (Hamilton) and (Alberto) Contador put together," he said from the USA Pro Cycling race in Colorado. "I hope this will be the first step to realizing how poisoned this sport has been and how far we still need to come in order to move on."

On Monday, a federal judge dismissed Armstrong's lawsuit against USADA and said the agency can rightfully claim jurisdiction over the cyclist's case. That led to a deadline late Thursday when Lance was forced to decide whether to continue fighting USADA's charges that he used banned drugs and blood transfusions to gain an edge. If he decided to fight, he would have had to do so in the arbitration process, which he called a "kangaroo court." USADA's record in arbitration against the accused is 58-2.

Judge Sam Sparks also rejected Armstrong's claim that the arbitration process was biased, ruling that the cyclist must seek victory there before asking a court to intervene, as Armstrong agreed to do in applying for cycling licenses. Sparks did raise several issues of fairness in USADA's vague charging letter, but said those issues could be argued as part of the arbitration.

Armstrong declined, saying, "I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair" and said USADA has "zero physical evidence" to support its "outlandish and heinous claims."

Instead, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman fired a letter off to USADA Thursday that suggested Armstrong would sue if USADA moves to sanction him. "You are on notice that if USADA makes any public statement claiming, without jurisdiction, to sanction Mr. Armstrong, or to falsely characterize Mr. Armstrong's reasons for not requesting an arbitration as anything other than a recognition of (International Cycling Union) jurisdiction and authority, USADA and anyone involved in the making of the statement will be liable," Herman wrote.

Herman told USADA it could submit its case against Armstrong to UCI or the international Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.

By declining to go to arbitration, Armstrong and his legal team sent the message that he no longer wants to participate in a fight he doesn't consider fair. After years of rumors and accusations of cheating, many people already had made up their mind about him - a point that wasn't lost on Armstrong.

His charity has enjoyed strong support despite the doping allegations, though Armstrong's popularity has slipped, according to Q Scores, which measures the likeability of celebrities.

Sanctions against Armstrong could mark the end of a long sporting saga that once captivated the world. A native of Austin, Texas, Armstrong successful fight against cancer and remarkable career inspired millions of other survivors and gave rise to Livestrong and its iconic yellow bracelets.

Armstrong previously was subject of a federal investigation into whether he committed fraud while on the USPS team, not whether he doped. That investigation was stopped earlier this year with no charges filed. USADA then brought its own non-criminal case against Armstrong, citing its authority to protect the integrity of sports as authorized by Congress.

Armstrong described it as "Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt."

USADA has consistently said its mission is to keep sports clean and that Armstrong was being handled like any other accused athlete. The agency said Armstrong should be held to the same rules as everybody else and should not have "a new set of rules that apply only to him."

In its letter of charges dated June 12, USADA accused Armstrong of being part of a sophisticated doping conspiracy involving five other members from his U.S. Postal Service cycling team, including doctors, a trainer and coach.

Two declined to fight, leading to swift lifetime bans from USADA. The other three decided to fight the charges in arbitration.

Jim Ochowicz, who managed Armstrong on the Motorola team, declined to comment directly on Armstrong's decision. He said cycling had "moved on."

"As far as the sport is concerned, this is something that has been in play since 1999," he said. "It's a long story, and quite frankly the sport has moved on to other things. This is old news."

A ban by USADA also would mean a ban in triathlons, a sport Armstrong hoped to compete in on behalf of his foundation.

At the end of his statement, Armstrong said, "Going forward, I am going to devote myself to raising my five beautiful (and energetic) kids, fighting cancer, and attempting to be the fittest 40-year-old on the planet."

Contributing: Fred Dreier in Colorado.

USADA says it will ban Lance Armstrong, strip 7 Tour titles

 

[HongWu]

you are missing the point. It shows the virtue of American society. Its values of upholding rule of law. No matter how big the icon, the law takes its course. I highly commend this American virtue and not surprised why America is the most powerful nation of the world.

Imagine if this man was from South Asia. Rules would have been bent to keep him immune from prosecution. He would have been a god. Americans do not create false icons. And those who cheat must never be anyone's idols. American put a high premium on achievement and this shows they believe there is no short cut to ultimate success. The success should come through fair, unbiased competition.

Great job America!!!

They always knew he was doping. They just put him out to pasture after he got old. Same will happen to Phelps. He admitted to doing drugs (marijuana) already still doesn't go to jail.

 

[anarchy 99]

They always knew he was doping. They just put him out to pasture after he got old. Same will happen to Phelps. He admitted to doing drugs (marijuana) already still doesn't go to jail.

I'm convinced phelps is doping.

 

[Developereo]

you are missing the point. It shows the virtue of American society. Its values of upholding rule of law. No matter how big the icon, the law takes its course. I highly commend this American virtue and not surprised why America is the most powerful nation of the world.

Imagine if this man was from South Asia. Rules would have been bent to keep him immune from prosecution. He would have been a god. Americans do not create false icons. And those who cheat must never be anyone's idols. American put a high premium on achievement and this shows they believe there is no short cut to ultimate success. The success should come through fair, unbiased competition.

Great job America!!!

Nike is standing by him, as are many cyclists (honor among thieves?) and most of the Western media. Australian media is portraying him almost as a victim.

If this had been a non-Western athlete branded a cheat by a major organization, we all know how the media would have turned into a lynch mob.

 

[vsdoc]

I am a diehard Lance fan. As a former cyclist at a very amateur level myself, I know what this guy has gone through. The untrained mind simply cannot comprehend.

He is one amongst my pantheon of all time heros (Boris Becker, Michael Schumacher, Rahul Dravid, Diego Maradona, Valentino Rossi).

He is a phenomenon and will remain one for hundreds of thousands of fans and those he has taught to live worldwide.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

U.S. always jumps up and down and talks about athletes from other countries for drug use. Actually, its own athletes are actually the biggest drug abusers, just look at those scandals for every professional sports in U.S. and those non-professional athletes as well.

Americans are best at: Thief yelling for Thief.

 

[gambit]

you mean like marion jones, justin gatlin, barry bonds, alex rodriguez, lance armstrong, floyd landis, carl lewis, mark mcguire, etc?

not to mention the cheats that havent been caught due to using masking agents.

america has a corporate sponsored doping system.

Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And how many of them were GOVERNMENT sponsored, like in China, the USSR, and the rest of the communist bloc?

 

[gambit]

I see that cheap shot as more of a sentiment against recent accusations of Chinese cheating. It's more of a schadenfreude moment for when the shoe falls on the other foot, so to speak.

Armstrong's been fighting the positive return for EPOs on his 1999 sample for the last few years. And he's been suing anyone who even dares publishes that incident. Not to mention his connections to the infamous "sport" doctor Michele Ferrari as well as the personal testimonies of former teammates and friends.

Contrary to what you believe, having innate talent doesn't preclude the possibility of him doping.

And for your belief that the other competitors aren't scrutinized.. well,
Doping at the Tour de France - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This affair of course, doesn't change the fact he did indeed have great talent nor does it take away his contributions with his cancer foundation.

Never said it did. Which is why an honest discussion should be about the testing regime. Cheaters will always put on an honest face, before, during, and after the cheat. The testing regime assume that EVERYONE guilty until proven innocent, in other words, if I win, I have to prove via a testing regime that is out of my control that I won honestly. What I ingest is under my control. What is extracted out of me to prove my innocence and what was done with that sample are not under my control. And yet cheaters do have successes. Why? If the accusation of cheating is valid against me or Lance Armstrong AFTER our victories, then why was it inappropriate during the Olympics, against any athlete from any country? You think Michael Phelps never got such accusations...???

Chinese Olympic Doctor Wonders If Michael Phelps Was Doping Too

China's former Olympic doctor Chen Zhanghao (who, it should be noted, was a central figure in China's doping scandals of the '80s and '90s) came right back at America's own record-smashing hero:

"Abnormal? America's Phelps broke seven world records! Is he normal? I suspect Phelps, but without evidence, I have to recognise that we should be grounded in facts."

"The Americans have made many extraordinary performances but without evidence we have kept silent."

If anyone whose accusations should be taken seriously, it should be the doctor(s) who performed such cheating under governmental sponsorship.

 

[Audio]

lol, lots of butthurt Chinese in this thread + the occasional part-time mullah.
Hilarious, they still cant accept they didnt win the most medals in the olympics and are venting out here.
Carry on please, lots of amusement in 3 pages, hopefully lots more to come.

Lance FTW!

 

[anarchy 99]

And how many of them were GOVERNMENT sponsored, like in China, the USSR, and the rest of the communist bloc?

It's government sponsored by the murderous and fascist America regime. Not only is it government sponsored, but even worse it's corporate sponsored. The yanks have more cheating dopers than the rest of the world combined.

lol, lots of butthurt Chinese in this thread + the occasional part-time mullah.
Hilarious, they still cant accept they didnt win the most medals in the olympics and are venting out here.
Carry on please, lots of amusement in 3 pages, hopefully lots more to come.

Lance FTW!

Yea when the American regime threatens judges and bribes them, of course the US would win the most golds.
It's a pity topping the medal table won't solve the decline of the west into irrelevancy. Most of the western regimes are bankrupt with debt crisis and in recession and high unemployment rates.

 

[El Weirdo]

If they really had courage they would execute him or at least give him a 50 year drug sentence.

So you think only Human factory , china , has all the guts and courage?
It take more guts and courage to be non-violent / forgiving!!

CCP is really courageous , killing a 7 month old baby... what a piece of scumbags they are.... but according to you they are courageous , just like you and Ur chinese friends living in the US. Hypocrites!!
7-Month Pregnant Woman Forced Into Labor to Abort Unborn Baby – chinaSMACK

 

[888jamie888]

If they really had courage they would execute him or at least give him a 50 year drug sentence.

You seem unhinged.