Posts Tagged ‘doping scandal’

Liar, liar, Lance on fire

By Charlie Gillis - Thursday, December 20, 2012 - 0 Comments

2012 Newsmakers: Lance Armstrong’s arrogance in the face of incontrovertible truth. Livestrong, as if.

KEYSTONE PRESS

When the shock had worn off and tempers had cooled, the wonder lay not in his misdemeanours but in his resolve. It’s one thing to cheat, another to lie. But to cheat and lie for so long—to draw in teammates, to bind them with threats, to lay waste to their reputations when they confessed—who among us could have done it? We’re used to learning our heroes have feet of clay, that they dope or drive drunk or cheat on their spouses. This was different. Lance Armstrong wasn’t revealed to be human this year. He was revealed to be inhuman.

The lies took more than a dozen years to fall away, hanging this summer by the threads of Armstrong’s brazen denials. Since the first whiff of suspicion back in 1999, when a former French rider spoke publicly about widespread doping in cycling, Armstrong had been on the offensive. He publicly attacked that rider, Christophe Bassons, inviting him to “go home” from the 2000 Tour de France. He ridiculed and sued the truth-sayers who followed—riders, journalists, and racing officials who alleged widespread doping at the highest echelons. In a 2001 TV ad for Nike, Armstrong all but laughed in their faces: “What am I on?” he snarled. “I am on my bike busting my ass six hours a day. What are you on?”

But the drip, drip of revelation kept coming, culminating two years ago in the stunning admission by Armstrong’s former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, that he and Armstrong had taken the blood-doping hormone erythropoietin (EPO) before and during the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tours. Finally, in October, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) published its jaw-dropping report on doping on the U.S. Postal Service and Discovery teams Armstrong had led in his seven Tour de France victories. Armstrong wasn’t just a participant in the teams’ doping program, by USADA’s estimation; he was the doping program. His unquenchable appetite for Tour victories, the report said, “led him to depend on EPO, testosterone and blood transfusions, but also, more ruthlessly, to expect and require that his teammates would likewise use drugs to support his goals if not their own.” Continue…

  • A timeline of Lance Armstrong’s very bad morning

    By Emily Senger - Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 10:02 AM - 0 Comments

    Emily Senger on reaction to news that disgraced cyclist has stepped down from his charity

    A very bad morning for Lance Armstrong

    It was more bad news for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong Wednesday: he stepped down as chairman of his cancer charity Livestrong, was canned by former sponsor Nike and may be stripped of his Olympic medal, all amid last week’s evidence that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

    Storified by Maclean’s Magazine · Wed, Oct 17 2012 07:11:35

    Armstrong made the surprise announcement that he would step down as chairman Wednesday morning, but said he would remain on as a board member. In a statement, he said: ”This organization, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart. Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship.”
    Official statement: @LanceArmstrong to Step Down as Chairman of @LIVESTRONG http://bit.ly/P9E17OLIVESTRONG
    Nike followed with its own announcement, moments later.
    Nike Statement on Lance ArmstrongRead the latest NIKE, Inc. news and press releases, search for jobs, find stock information and learn about corporate responsibility.
    In the a short statement on its website, Nike wrote: “Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”
    The Nike decision comes a day after a NY Daily News story, saying that Nike may even have played a role in the doping scandal.
    Nike may have had impact on Lance Armstrong scandal, possibly involved in what USADA called ‘most sophisticated’ doping program everNike raised eyebrows from the French Alps to Oregon’s Cascade Range last week when it announced that it was standing by Lance Armstrong, …
    Marathoner Paula Radcliffe weighed in on those allegations.
    A lot of people were deceived. The Nike I know represents the spirit and ideals of true athletes and would never condone doping. …Paula Radcliffe
    Up until Wednesday’s announcement, Armstrong had maintained that he was focusing on his Livestrong charity. Even last week, as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released more damning evidence, Armstrong put out these tweets:
    Hanging @LIVESTRONGHQ w/ the team talking about next week’s events and plans for 2013. Can’t wait to see so many friends and supporters.Lance Armstrong
    What am I doing tonight? Hanging with my family, unaffected, and thinking about this. http://bit.ly/Po6mXT #onwardLance Armstrong
    Also on Wednesday, there were reports that Armstrong could be stripped of his Olympic bronze medal. 
    Armstrong may lose Olympic bronzeThe IOC will wait for cycling’s governing body to act on Lance Armstrong’s doping case before it considers taking away his Olympic bronze…
    It was just too much for some Armstrong fans, who tore off their yellow bracelets in disgust.
    #LIVEWRONG http://pic.twitter.com/0fcLMv3XMatt Evans
    Into the trash you go.. #LiveWrong #Fraud http://lockerz.com/s/253815185Ali Farwana
    F U @lancearmstrong #livewrong #dopestrong #justdopeitBryan Mitchell
    Armstrong’s resignation also drew comments saying the cyclist should have owned up to his mistakes long ago, rather than repeatedly insisting that he never doped.
    Today I wonder if Lance Armstrong’s fall would have been as severe if he would have owned up long ago and eaten that sandwich in one bite.Kyle Proctor
    RIP Lance Armstrong’s reputation – the biggest cheat in sporting history. #LiveWrongPiers Morgan
    I assume u see that lance has quit as CEO livestrong but remains on the boardMax Smith
    Despite his sullied reputation, Armstrong’s Livestrong charity has raised more than $500 million for people affected by cancer, which is enough for his remaining fans. 
    Oh, Lance. I’m still a fan. #liveSTRONG @lancearmstrong http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/armstrong-steps-down-as-livestrong-chairmanJennifer Vazquez

  • Lance Armstrong really is guilty, so who gets the yellow jerseys?

    By Emily Senger - Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 10:20 AM - 0 Comments

    Second-place Tour de France winners are embroiled in their own doping scandals

    With even more evidence coming forward to condemn cyclist Lance Armstrong in a doping scandal, including a damning confession from former Canadian teammate Michael Barry, there really is no more denying that the former king of cycling has fallen from grace.

    It’s time to admit that the American hero cheated, writes ESPN columnist Bonnie D. Ford. “The word ‘alleged’ should now be dropped from any description of the way doping permeated and enabled Lance Armstrong’s cycling career,” she says.

    With this new evidence, perhaps it’s time to finally redistribute those seven tainted yellow jerseys that Armstrong so proudly wore from 1999-2005.

    Herein lies the problem. Take 2005 for example. In that last year, Armstrong stood atop the podium wearing that yellow jersey, Ivan Basso (team CSC) was second and Jan Ullrich (team T-mobile) was in third place.

    So the medal should go to Basso, right? Basso admitted to doping and was handed a two-year ban from the sport in 2007. Third-place Ullrich has also been linked to a doping scandal, which is set to go before a Spanish court in January.

    It’s pretty much the same story for runners-up every other year that Armstrong raced. Deadspin sums it up in a handy list and Bicycling
     magazine has the second-place dopers in a photo gallery.

    Meanwhile, Armstrong is remaining true to a message that has been pretty consistent over the last decade.

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From Macleans