USADA Publishes Armstrong File
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency claims Lance Armstrong was front and center in cycling's "most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program" ever.
In more than 1,000 pages of evidence published late Wednesday as well as sent to the International Cycling Union, World Anti-Doping Agency and others, USADA details allegations of use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by the seven-time Tour de France winner.
Included is testimony from 11 former members of his U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, including admitted dopers Floyd Landis, George Hincapie and Tyler Hamilton.
"The evidence also includes direct documentary evidence including financial payments, emails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong and confirm the disappointing truth about the deceptive activities of the USPS Team, a team that received tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars in funding," says USADA CEO Travis Tygart.
Armstrong attorney Tim Herman referred to the file as "a one-sided hatchet job" and "taxpayer funded tabloid piece rehashing old, disproved, unreliable allegations" against his client.
Wednesday’s reasoned decision, as the document is known, follows Armstrong’s announcement on Aug. 23 that he would no longer fight PED charges and USADA’s subsequent stripping of his titles from 1998 on, including a time trial bronze medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In his statement, Tygart congratulates USADA for shattering the "code of silence" perpetuated by the USPS team and calls on UCI to help ensure a clean future for cycling.
"From day one, we always hoped this investigation would bring to a close this troubling chapter in cycling’s history," he says, "and we hope the sport will use this tragedy to prevent it from ever happening again."
UCI and WADA each get 21 days to decide whether to appeal USADA’s findings to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"The UCI will examine all information received in order to consider issues of appeal and recognition, jurisdiction and statute of limitation," UCI said late Wednesday in a statement.
"The UCI will endeavor to provide a timely response and not to delay matters any longer than necessary."
Click here for the complete USADA report.
IOC to Supervise Panama Elections
Elections of the Panama Olympic Committee are set for December under supervision of the IOC.
In the meantime, the IOC will work with the international federations for each Olympic sport to ensure Panama has just one national federation per sport.
The outcomes follow a mediation Tuesday in Lausanne among Panamanian government representative Javier Tejeira, IOC member Melitón Sánchez, IOC director of NOC relations Pere Miró and Jérôme Poivey, head of institutional relations in the IOC’s NOC relations department.
"This meeting served to reaffirm the willingness of both institutions to work together for the benefit of Olympism and sport in Panama, with mutual trust and respect, in line with the principles of the Olympic Charter and the legislation in force, as expressed by the President of the Republic of Panama, Mr Martinelli, and the IOC President, Dr Jacques Rogge, at a meeting held during the Olympic Games in London," said the IOC.
The IOC agreed in August to help Panama resolved a long-standing dispute between two groups both claiming to be the Central American country’s legitimate NOC.
Panama was suspended before the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro because of a similar conflict, but was subsequently reinstated.
Judo’s Birthday Gift to Putin
Vladimir Putin: president of Russia, lover of Olympics and now an 8th dan of judo.
The International Judo Federation awarded him the honor Sunday on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
"It is a great honor for our international federation, as well as for the entire judo community, to count among us a very high personality of his reputation and standing," IJF president Marius L. Vizer said in a statement.
"President Putin represents a high expression of the Judo values in the world."
Putin is both an accomplished judoka as well as an honorary IJF president. The 10th dan is judo’s highest ranking.
Media Watch
Charles Pierce of Grantland recalls "a perfect moment at the 1988 Summer Olympics" – the 9.79 seconds Ben Johnson took to beat reigning 100m champion Carl Lewis across the finish line in Seoul.
ESPN’s latest "30 for 30" documentary "9.79 *" – first broadcast Tuesday night – also tackles the tainted triumph of Johnson, who would soon test positive for stanozolol and lose his gold medal to Lewis.
Forbes contributor Peter High presents five IT lessons from the London Olympics.
Chris Tsuma, a sports journalist teaching in Nairobi, bets "there will be no bid for the 2024 Summer Games from a Kenyan city" in this BBC editorial.
Written by Matthew Grayson
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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