Lance Armstrong facing drug testing woes

“If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA’s process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and — once and for all — put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance,” Armstrong said in a lengthy prepared statement Thursday evening. “But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair.” USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart reacted to reports of Armstrong’s decision not to enter arbitration, stating: “It is a sad day for all of us who love sport and our athletic heroes. 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 will now face a lifetime ban and the stripping of his tour titles, according to the USADA. However, he argued that he never failed a drug test and that the USADA should not have the right to strip him of his titles. Considering he was one of the most tested athletes in history, how did he cheat if he never failed a test? A former teammate, Jonathan Vaughters, confessed his own doping on the New York Times opinion pages just two weeks ago, writing, “When I was racing in the 1990s and early 2000s, the rules were easily circumvented by any and all.” This suggests drug tests were easy to pass, and the screening process was weak. Through it all, Armstrong vigorously denied any and all hints, rumours and direct accusations he was cheating. It seems that the public will never know the truth behind the scandal. For now, we can take gratification that sporting authorities are working incredibly hard to implement thorough drug screening programs, and doing their best to keep cheating athletes out of the industry.  ]]>