Lance Armstrong è sotto indagine da parte di USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) che gli ha notificato il divieto di partecipare a qualsiasi competizione di triathlon.
Il Washington Post ha riportato la notizia mercoledì 13 giugno che USADA ha inviato ad Armstrong e ad altre 15 persone, un fascicolo in cui sono elencate le accuse di doping riferite alla sua attività di PRO nel ciclismo con la US Postal Service e il team Discovery dal 1998 al 2005 e ancora dal 2009 al 2010.
Il 7 volte vincitore del Tour de France ha accusato l’USADA di volersi vendicare nei suoi confronti. Durissime le sue parole: “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. These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation. These charges are baseless, motivated by spite and advanced through testimony bought and paid for by promises of anonymity and immunity. Although USADA alleges a wide-ranging conspiracy extended over more than 16 years, I am the only athlete it has chosen to charge. USADA’s malice, its methods, its star-chamber practices, and its decision to punish first and adjudicate later all are at odds with our ideals of fairness and fair play.”
Ha poi continuato dichiarando la sua innocenza: “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. That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence.”
Di seguito le dichiarazioni anche di Travis Tygart, USADA CEO: “We do not choose whether or not we do our job based on outside pressures, intimidation or for any reason other than the evidence, our duty on behalf of clean athletes and those that value the integrity of sport is to fairly and thoroughly evaluate all the evidence available and when there is credible evidence of doping, take action under the established rules. As in every USADA case, all named individuals are presumed innocent of the allegations unless and until proven otherwise through the established legal process.”
Oltre ad Arsmtrong, sono altri 5 i coinvolti direttamente in queste indagini: il manager RadioShack-Nissan Johan Bruyneel, il dottor Michele Ferrari, Pedro Celaya e Luis Garcia del Moral e l’allenatore Jose Pepi Marti.
Da parte sua, la World Triathlon Corporation (proprietaria del marchio Ironman), che ha stipulato un accordo con Armstrong per il suo ritorno al triathlon, con la partecipazione a sei gare e alla finale Mondiale del 13 ottobre alle Hawaii, ha immediatamente sospeso Armstrong dalle competizioni.
“WTC has been notified that USADA has initiated its Anti-Doping Review Board Process against Lance Armstrong to determine if there is sufficient evidence of doping during his cycling career to bring forward charges of a non-analytical nature. Our rules, as stated in the WTC Professional Athlete Agreement and Waiver, dictate an athlete is ineligible to compete during an open investigation. Armstrong is therefore suspended from competing in WTC-owned and licensed races pending further review.”
WTC si è affrettata inoltre anche a togliere la sezione dedicata a Lance Armstrong dalla home page del suo sito, www.ironman.com
Dopo il forfait per guai fisici di Marcel Zamora, l’Ironman France del prossimo 24 giugno perde anche il suo protagonista più atteso…
Fonte: Velonews.com