SPORTS
Lance Armstrong facing lifetime ban, loss of titles
Baku, August 27 (AZERTAC). Famed cyclist Lance Armstrong is facing the loss of seven Tour de France titles and his championship legacy after ending his fight against charges of illegal doping.
Armstrong`s move prompted the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on Friday to slap a lifetime ban on the athlete and strip him of his wins dating to 1998, though there is a question of whether the organization has the authority to take such action.
The World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Cycling Union will review the USADA`s findings, with one or both agencies then given the option to appeal the case before Armstrong can be banned or stripped of titles.
Armstrong has vehemently denied U.S. Anti-Doping Agency allegations that he took steroids throughout his career. The agency said it has testimony from former teammates to support the charges, though it has declined to reveal who provided the evidence.
But the U.S. agency said the anti-doping regulations that Armstrong is being sanctioned for are defined as violations by the cycling union and other agencies, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the WADA`s prohibited list.
Armstrong has been an icon for his feats and celebrity, bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition, big money and mass appeal in the United States.
In February, Justice Department prosecutors said they closed a criminal investigation after reviewing allegations against Armstrong. They had called witnesses to a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, but apparently determined they lacked evidence to bring a charge that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong`s move isn`t an admission of guilt. It`s a reaction to an agency`s "unmitigated power with complete overreach" that is cowing other sports agencies.