UC I (Union Cycliste Internationale), the global sports ruling body officially declared to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and ban him from the sport for life, marking an epic disgrace for the cyclist once acclaimed as the greatest sportsperson of all time, is now at the center of a doping scandal.
“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” Pat McQuaid, the president of the International Cycling Union, known as UCI, said at a news conference in Switzerland. “This is a landmark day for cycling.”
This decision came to pass following the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency ban on Armstrong from entering the sport for life for suspected use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. The USADA issued a 200-page report on Oct. 10 after a wide-scale investigation into Armstrong’s alleged use of performance-enhancing substances.
The seven-time Tour de France winner, who never failed a drug test, has constantly denied the allegations. Though Armstrong did not address the findings but has instead urged his supporters to continue fighting cancer.
Armstrong made appearances just days ahead of the decision this weekend, at the Livestrong Foundation’s 15th anniversary charity gala. Unlike last year, these allegations and social turmoil has cost him his medals and beneficial sponsors and celebrity friends.
The former cyclist and cancer survivor stepped down as chairman of Livestrong Foundation this week and has lost endorsement deals with Nike and Anheuser-Busch.
Last year, the red carpet was packed with his celebrity friends compared to only pal Sean Penn showing up for the event.
“It was shocking that Robin Williams and Norah Jones skipped the red carpet and entered through the back door,” one celebrity watcher stated. “Plus, where was Matthew McConaughey? These two used to be very close friends, and he even lives in Austin.”
This year’s event didn’t officially release a single image of Armstrong and any of the aforesaid guests at the event. In the past, the Livestrong Foundation had received support of various celebrities, including Halle Berry, Matt Damon, Hilary Duff, Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, Will Smith, Sharon Stone and Mark Wahlberg.
Lance Armstrong, 41, married thrice and has five children from his weddings pre and post-cancer detection and treatment. Lance Armstrong was formerly married Kirstin Richard on May 1, 1998 and had three children with her. Later the couple divorced in 2003, the year in which he started dating singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. Though they announced their engagement in September 2005 but split in 2006.
Later in July 2008, he started dating Anna Hansen and announced in December 2008, they expected their first baby. In April 2010, Armstrong tweeted that Anna Hansen was having his fifth child.
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