A Champion or A Cheat?

Posted by Unknown On Friday, August 24, 2012 2 comments
According to James Vertuno of Huffington Post:

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said Thursday night it will strip Lance Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.


                           Image from here.
Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday.

Still to be heard from was the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union, which had backed Armstrong's legal challenge to USADA's authority.

Armstrong, who retired last year, declined to enter USADA's arbitration process – his last option – because he said he was weary of fighting accusations that have dogged him for years. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he has passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles stretchingfrom1999-2005.

"There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now," Armstrong said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. He called the USADA investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."

"I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999," he said. "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."

USADA reacted quickly and treated Armstrong's decision as an admission of guilt, hanging the label of drug cheat on an athlete who was a hero to thousands for overcoming life-threatening testicular cancer and for his foundation's support for cancer research.

"It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and athletes," Tygart said. "It's a heartbreaking example of win at all costs overtaking the fair and safe option. There's no success in cheating to win."




The question that remains is whether indeed Lance Armstrong was a champion or a cheat.

2 comments to A Champion or A Cheat?

  1. says:

    CLY If he was a cheat in 1999, why strip him of the title 13 years later and after 7 championship. Remember Ye Shiwen, the swimmer from China? She was accused too. It boils down to hard work, discipline and dedication. It's the mind over matter where we can summon our strength to perform beyond the normal limits. The limiting factor is the mind and not the body. He did not cheat but should not let someone cheat him of his glory.

  1. says:

    Unknown Dear CLY

    You hit the nail on the head with your last sentence.

    I reckon because the onslaught of his enemies has been over such a long period of time, the fight fizzled out of him because he was probably drained.

    Or perhaps on a positive note, he might have felt that the public endorsement was not worth the flak he was getting...

    Yet, we cannot deny he has been a tremendous source of inspiration to many who looked up to him.

    Take care and thank you for sharing such insightful views!!

    Best wishes

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