(AP)
American Lance Armstrong is considered one of the greatest cyclists in history as he carries seven Tour de France titles (between 1999 and 2005). Each victory was followed by allegations of his use of performance-enhancing steroids, and each time he was accused, he fiercely fought back. However, this time, he decided to stop officially opposing the new charges against him.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) claimed that Armstrong used blood doping to enhance his performance during his time as a professional cyclist. After initially arguing against this accusation, Armstrong has finally stopped; he decided he would not enter arbitration with the USADA. Nevertheless, he stands firm about his innocence.
“There comes a point in every man’s life where he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now.
“I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven tours since 1999.
“The toll this has taken on my family and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today—finished with this nonsense.”
Armstrong has stated that the USDA does not have the power to strip him of his titles. Yet, Travis Tygart, USADA chief executive, says that they do.
USADA will almost certainly take Armstrong’s decision to not enter arbitration to be an admission of guilt and will place a lifetime ban on this athlete.
The USADA states that they have ten former Armstrong teammates ready to testify against him. They even have an email sent by a former teammate, Floyd Landis, which explains the complex doping program on the U.S. team. The agency also claims they have his blood test results from 2009 and 2010, which are consistent with blood doping.
From news reports()
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