Lance Armstrong faces new anti-doping charges: Washington Post
An almost two-year long doping inquiry against cycling champion Lance Armstrong and his teammates closed Friday. Armstrong has not had any charges brought against him.
The US Anti-Doping Agency has brought formal charges against Lance Armstrong, which may cause the former cyclist to lose his seven Tour de France victories, the Washington Post reported.
Armstrong, who began competing in triathlons after his retirement from cycling, has been banned from the sport because of the charges. His former teammates, Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton cooperated with federal agents and accused Armstrong of doping.
According to USA Today, Armstrong has strongly denied doping accusations throughout his career. He has never tested positive, Sports Illustrated reported.
"I have never doped, and, unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one," Amstrong said in a statement he released via Twitter.
He further elaborated on his website, according to the BBC: "I have been notified that USADA, an organization largely funded by taxpayer dollars but governed only by self-written rules, intends to again dredge up discredited allegations dating back more than 16 years to prevent me from competing as a triathlete and try and strip me of the seven Tour de France victories I earned."
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Earlier this year the US Attorney's office ended their investigation in Armstrong, after a two year probe into doping allegations.
Armstrong said in his statement of the latest charges: "These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation."
USADA is the quasi-government agency that oversees anti-doping in Olympic sports in the United States. It does not have authority to bring criminal charges.
The USADA said, "USADA only initiates matters supported by the evidence. We do not choose whether or not we do our job based on outside pressures, intimidation or for any reason other than the evidence," according to the BBC.