US Anti-Doping Agency charges Armstrong
- Thread starter steve williams
- Start date
That's why in Weighlifting they change the weight classes every ten years or so, wipe out all the records and start fresh
The real problem is that enforcement varies from country to country not to mention each country's governing sports authority.
The strictest in terms of testing (currently) is the US, Canada and the UK. We won't talk about those at the bottom. In the US, one has passport testing as well as having to submit a detailed itinerary of where you'll be every three months and they have a right to show up any time and ask you to pee in a cup.
Plus now the IOC can and does store samples for retsesting for up to 8 years.
I do think you underestimate the role of efficiency in relation to aerobic performance
All good questions!I guess for some of us it is more about methodology and that "subjective" evidence is not the same as "scientifically proven-objective" evidence
Notice how I link subjective vs objective in this thread
So far all that has been presented to find LA guilty is subjective/anecdotal.
Funny how he has never been caught on TdF while critically those others have, even though LA has no control-influence of the French doping agency/police/etc when they have done raids,tests,etc.
Would be impossible for him to cover it up.
Slightly different tangent, if USADA are this adamant, are they then suggesting UCI are complicit, amongst others.....
I do wonder why this case is only focused on LA and not anyone outside of his core associates.
After all Johan Bruyneel is not American or has an American license.
Why have they not also investigating Alberto Contador who also rode for the same team and has had questionable test.....
Many questions, and if USADA were being objective these would also be considered.
And yeah good thread with different views on the subject, I think there is a lot of food for thought for all the various views.
Cheers
Orb
Live strong raised like $12 million yesterday. Cancer research thanks the dopes over at the us doper agency.
i think Indurain has it about right. it was a 'strange' investigation. i think it's a lot of hooey.
http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling...ance-armstrong-keep-tour-de-france-titles-now
http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling...ance-armstrong-keep-tour-de-france-titles-now
Yes why weren't any of the other riders investigated? Inquiring minds want to know.
From a news story today.
US doping agency targets Lance Armstrong's titles
Published August 25, 2012
Associated Press
His seven Tour de France titles stripped away and his legacy in tatters, Lance Armstrong is heading back outdoors and into the public eye.
A day after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency punished Armstrong with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and erased 14 years of his career after concluding he used performance-enhancing drugs, Armstrong is scheduled to ride in a mountain bike race in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday and follow it up by running a marathon there Sunday.
And he has no plans to slow down any time soon, despite the whirlwind of controversy swirling around him.
Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said Armstrong also still plans to attend the World Cancer Congress in Montreal where's he scheduled to deliver a keynote address to thousands in attendance.
"He's getting out there," Higgins said.
Anti-doping and cycling officials will continue to address his career.
USADA said Friday it expects cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation of why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005.
The Amaury Sport Organization, which runs the world's most prestigious cycling race, said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA. The U.S. agency contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports.
Armstrong, who retired a year ago and turns 41 next month, said Thursday he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without any physical evidence.
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart described the investigation as a battle against a "win-at-all-cost culture," adding that the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."
"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.
That would leave Greg LeMond as the only American to win the Tour de France, having done so in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
LeMond did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment left through his attorneys and friends.
Armstrong on Friday sent a tweet about his plans to race in Aspen, but did not comment directly on the sanctions.
The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI even backed Armstrong's failed legal challenge to USADA's authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the U.S. agency.
"As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case, the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision" explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases "where no hearing occurs."
If Tour de France officials follow USADA's lead and announce that Armstrong has been stripped of his titles, Jan Ullrich could be promoted to champion in three of those years. Ullrich was stripped of his third-place finish in the 2005 Tour and retired from racing two years later after being implicated in another doping scandal.
The retired German racer expressed no desire to rewrite the record book of cycling's greatest event, even though he would be the biggest beneficiary.
"I know how the order was on the finishing line at the time," Ullrich said. "I've finished with my professional career and have always said that I was proud of my second-place finishes."
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that now dominate his legacy.
Every one of Armstrong's competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, has been vacated by USADA, established in 2000 as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Since Armstrong raced in UCI-sanctioned events, he was subject to international drug rules enforced in the U.S. by USADA. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed.
USADA said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their firsthand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team.
The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had "used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone" from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods -- and even used "blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions" during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour.
In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Had Armstrong chosen to pursue arbitration, USADA said, all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge.
"He chose not to do this knowing these sanctions would immediately be put into place," the statement said.
Armstrong said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly endless fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles.
"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 Thursday night, before the deadline to enter arbitration.
His success helped sell millions of the "Livestrong" plastic bracelets and enabled him to promote cancer awareness and research, raising nearly $500 million since his Lance Armstrong Foundation was started in 1997.
Foundation officials said they remained "proud" of Armstrong and had received hundreds of messages of support from donors, partners and supporters since his announcement. Among them was Nike Inc., which said it planned to continue supporting Armstrong and the foundation.
"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position," the company said.
Anheuser-Busch said its partnership with Armstrong was unchanged. American Century Investments, another partner, issued a statement supporting him.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/...mstrong-titles/?test=latestnews#ixzz24aO9TExN
How retarded would it be to award Ullrich? This is where it looks more and more like a French witch hunt for Armstrong.
US doping agency targets Lance Armstrong's titles
Published August 25, 2012
Associated Press
His seven Tour de France titles stripped away and his legacy in tatters, Lance Armstrong is heading back outdoors and into the public eye.
A day after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency punished Armstrong with a lifetime ban from professional cycling and erased 14 years of his career after concluding he used performance-enhancing drugs, Armstrong is scheduled to ride in a mountain bike race in Aspen, Colo., on Saturday and follow it up by running a marathon there Sunday.
And he has no plans to slow down any time soon, despite the whirlwind of controversy swirling around him.
Armstrong spokesman Mark Higgins said Armstrong also still plans to attend the World Cancer Congress in Montreal where's he scheduled to deliver a keynote address to thousands in attendance.
"He's getting out there," Higgins said.
Anti-doping and cycling officials will continue to address his career.
USADA said Friday it expects cycling's governing body to take similar action, but the International Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation of why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005.
The Amaury Sport Organization, which runs the world's most prestigious cycling race, said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA. The U.S. agency contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports.
Armstrong, who retired a year ago and turns 41 next month, said Thursday he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA's investigation a "witch hunt" without any physical evidence.
USADA chief executive Travis Tygart described the investigation as a battle against a "win-at-all-cost culture," adding that the UCI was "bound to recognize our decision and impose it."
"They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code," he said.
That would leave Greg LeMond as the only American to win the Tour de France, having done so in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
LeMond did not immediately respond to messages requesting comment left through his attorneys and friends.
Armstrong on Friday sent a tweet about his plans to race in Aspen, but did not comment directly on the sanctions.
The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI even backed Armstrong's failed legal challenge to USADA's authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the U.S. agency.
"As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case, the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision" explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases "where no hearing occurs."
If Tour de France officials follow USADA's lead and announce that Armstrong has been stripped of his titles, Jan Ullrich could be promoted to champion in three of those years. Ullrich was stripped of his third-place finish in the 2005 Tour and retired from racing two years later after being implicated in another doping scandal.
The retired German racer expressed no desire to rewrite the record book of cycling's greatest event, even though he would be the biggest beneficiary.
"I know how the order was on the finishing line at the time," Ullrich said. "I've finished with my professional career and have always said that I was proud of my second-place finishes."
The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that now dominate his legacy.
Every one of Armstrong's competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, has been vacated by USADA, established in 2000 as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Since Armstrong raced in UCI-sanctioned events, he was subject to international drug rules enforced in the U.S. by USADA. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed.
USADA said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses "who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their firsthand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy," a reference to Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service cycling team.
The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had "used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone" from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods -- and even used "blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions" during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour.
In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Had Armstrong chosen to pursue arbitration, USADA said, all the evidence would have been available for him to challenge.
"He chose not to do this knowing these sanctions would immediately be put into place," the statement said.
Armstrong said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly endless fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles.
"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 Thursday night, before the deadline to enter arbitration.
His success helped sell millions of the "Livestrong" plastic bracelets and enabled him to promote cancer awareness and research, raising nearly $500 million since his Lance Armstrong Foundation was started in 1997.
Foundation officials said they remained "proud" of Armstrong and had received hundreds of messages of support from donors, partners and supporters since his announcement. Among them was Nike Inc., which said it planned to continue supporting Armstrong and the foundation.
"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position," the company said.
Anheuser-Busch said its partnership with Armstrong was unchanged. American Century Investments, another partner, issued a statement supporting him.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/...mstrong-titles/?test=latestnews#ixzz24aO9TExN
How retarded would it be to award Ullrich? This is where it looks more and more like a French witch hunt for Armstrong.
Of all the years Lance won, every podium finisher has been caught doping save for one year where the 3rd place finisher has no doping allegations/charges. Hopefully the tour has an ounce of class and does the right thing....armstrong as winner of those 7 tours is upheld. The us doper has no tainted blood, only hearsay allegations. You can't convict someone in a us court of law with hearsay.
It would have been interesting to hear those making allegations against Armstrong being put on the stand! It wouldn't have been pretty and would have rocked the sport to its foundations.
---This story is huge, and the implications are enormous!
* Is there some security protection here under that entire layer?
Is the sport under tight protection? Are drugs negative or positive?
What is it that truly is going on?
* Is there some security protection here under that entire layer?
Is the sport under tight protection? Are drugs negative or positive?
What is it that truly is going on?
Myles,
their testimony may still have to go to UCI anyway before they make a decision.
But yeah would be very interesting to know who they are with what was exactly said by each, and whether they were co-erced or "bribed" into giving testimony.
Just to add, worth noting that one person who used to share a room with him Phil Anderson and he states he never saw Lance dope (although this is going back pre 1997 but Lance still had great form).
This is what he said recently:
Unfortunately I notice a few articles on the web from more traditional mainstream publishers suggesting Lance pulled out due to the evidence scared him, however the truth is very different and even with Judge Sparks closing comments on the 20th suggests there was a lot wrong including lack of presented evidence.
And importantly part of the Judges statement-conclusion on this matter;
Still open minded that there might be evidence, but it is worrying how USADA has gone about this case in that some aspects has been leaked by them and yet the real meat of evidence has still not been seen outside of USADA.
Hopefully we will know how good this evidence is very soon, unlikely though.
However I doubt they expected any of them to actually contest this, but Johan Bruyneel is not backing down it seems but does he have enough money to see this through with a real defence.
Cheers
Orb
their testimony may still have to go to UCI anyway before they make a decision.
But yeah would be very interesting to know who they are with what was exactly said by each, and whether they were co-erced or "bribed" into giving testimony.
Just to add, worth noting that one person who used to share a room with him Phil Anderson and he states he never saw Lance dope (although this is going back pre 1997 but Lance still had great form).
This is what he said recently:
Unfortunately I notice a few articles on the web from more traditional mainstream publishers suggesting Lance pulled out due to the evidence scared him, however the truth is very different and even with Judge Sparks closing comments on the 20th suggests there was a lot wrong including lack of presented evidence.
And importantly part of the Judges statement-conclusion on this matter;
Still open minded that there might be evidence, but it is worrying how USADA has gone about this case in that some aspects has been leaked by them and yet the real meat of evidence has still not been seen outside of USADA.
Hopefully we will know how good this evidence is very soon, unlikely though.
However I doubt they expected any of them to actually contest this, but Johan Bruyneel is not backing down it seems but does he have enough money to see this through with a real defence.
Cheers
Orb
Last edited:
Oh just thought regarding the testimony,
this may come to light as both UCI and TdF amongst other tour organisers would be in their right to demand these to chase earning/winnings from those who implicated themselves and admitted to being inside the process or provided information so as not to be prosecuted themselves.
USADA has not really thought this through or has and is looking to take control of cycling, this could drag on for a long time and those who thought they were anonymous could be in for a surprise.
Cheers
Orb
this may come to light as both UCI and TdF amongst other tour organisers would be in their right to demand these to chase earning/winnings from those who implicated themselves and admitted to being inside the process or provided information so as not to be prosecuted themselves.
USADA has not really thought this through or has and is looking to take control of cycling, this could drag on for a long time and those who thought they were anonymous could be in for a surprise.
Cheers
Orb
Great article showing how messed up it would be trying to work out who is now a winner of the TdF, because many times you can rule out even 3rd place lol.
Technically all of those cyclists should also had a life-time ban as well if they decided that for Lance;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ng-who-may-get-his-Tour-de-France-titles.html
Cheers
Orb
Technically all of those cyclists should also had a life-time ban as well if they decided that for Lance;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...ng-who-may-get-his-Tour-de-France-titles.html
Cheers
Orb
---This is an absolute mess!
...And not just in this "Cycling" sport!
____________________
Too many people are now taking "Sport" not as it is supposed to be, but as a Fame & Money thing.
And that is the true sadness in this twisted and corrupted evil game created by man in his perverted rise to financial power and faked fame!
...And not just in America but all over the entire world!
We can say all we want according to what we know, but the fact remains...
* Shame on them, shame on all of us!
...And not just in this "Cycling" sport!
____________________
Too many people are now taking "Sport" not as it is supposed to be, but as a Fame & Money thing.
And that is the true sadness in this twisted and corrupted evil game created by man in his perverted rise to financial power and faked fame!
...And not just in America but all over the entire world!
We can say all we want according to what we know, but the fact remains...
* Shame on them, shame on all of us!
Are you sure Indurain was clean ....?
This is polemics at its worst, the USADA should be disbanded , a waste of tax dollars . Armstrong's cancer work alone makes Him a champion...
I hope there's a ton of public backlash ....
This is polemics at its worst, the USADA should be disbanded , a waste of tax dollars . Armstrong's cancer work alone makes Him a champion...
I hope there's a ton of public backlash ....
---Maybe it was a "legitimate" banned substance?
Maybe the USADA is under "severe" stress?
Maybe Armstrong is happy and fulfilled enough with his role in raising a substantial amount of money for cancer research?
Maybe the world will end on December 21st 2012?
Maybe someone has it all wrong?
Maybe the USADA is under "severe" stress?
Maybe Armstrong is happy and fulfilled enough with his role in raising a substantial amount of money for cancer research?
Maybe the world will end on December 21st 2012?
Maybe someone has it all wrong?
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