Lance Armstrong, the most decorated, celebrated and controversial rider in cycling history, has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles after refusing to contest charges of doping, drug trafficking, and administering of drugs to others.
Armstrong denies ever taking drugs to enhance his performance, and has never failed a drug test. Instead, the case against Armstrong consists of testimonies from more than a dozen witnesses, including eyewitness reports from team-mates, that Armstrong was not only guilty of using illegal performance enhancing methods, but also played a vital part in their distribution and use by other riders.
Armstrong says:
"The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It’s an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It’s just not right.
USADA cannot assert control of a professional international sport and attempt to strip my seven Tour de France titles. I know who won those seven Tours, my teammates know who won those seven Tours, and everyone I competed against knows who won those seven Tours. We all raced together."
What do you think? Is it fair to strip Lance Armstrong of all his titles without physical evidence?
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lancearmstrong.com/news-events/lance-armstongs-statement-of-august-23-2012 www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/24/lance-armstrong-stripped-tour-de-france www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/24/lance-armstrong-damaged-hero-charity-brandIt is proposed that Armstrong's titles should be returned unless there is physical evidence he broke the rules