Lance Armstrong Bows Out of Fight with USADA, Is Stripped of Titles
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In what is tantamount to an admission of guilt, Lance
Armstrong has opted to no longer contest the charges against him by the U.S.
Anti-Doping Agency which included allegations of EPO use and blood doping
activities to enhance performance. Had he continued, Lance faced an arbitration
process that would have made public all evidence against him, including
testimony from a reported 10 former teammates and associates prepared to take
the stand against him.Though the implications of all this remain to be seen, in addition to a lifetime ban from the sport, the USADA asserts that it has the authority to strip Armstrong of his victories, even erasing his unprecedented seven yellow jerseys won in the Tour de France.
"It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes," said Travis Tygart, head of the USADA, in a statement. "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, but for clean athletes, it is a reassuring reminder that there is hope for future generations to compete on a level playing field without the use of performance-enhancing drugs."
Armstrong issued his own statement, of course. "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough."
