The celebrated cyclists Lance Armstrong will be stripped of all his medals and titles as a result of doping charges according to Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Late Thursday, the 40-year-old athlete announced that he would not go ahead with arbitration in the charges pitted against him in the doping scandal. In a statement released to the Times, Armstrong writes, "There comes a point in a man's life when he has to say Enough is Enough!," as reported by the Las Angeles Times.
Armstrong, who was fighting against allegation of using enhancement drugs for over year, will now lose all his Tour titles, the 2000 Olympic Bronze medal and will also be banned from the competition for the rest of his life.
On Armstrong lost a bid on Monday to end the case against him in a federal court. He said in an official statement on his website, "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...But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair."
Armstrong never tested positive for any drugs during his career span of over ten years.
The USDA had alleged that the Olympic medalist was involved in using as well as trafficking and distributing performance enhancements. The USDA says that it possess evidence from Armstrong's teammates and other close sources who confirm that Armstrong was on steroids. The agency said it will not disclose the names of those that provided evidence.
USDA's Tygart told CNN, "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. 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 won the Tour de France for seven consecutive times between 1999-2005. The athlete, who has survivor of testicular cancer, has a foundation dedicated to the cause called The Lance Armstrong Foundation, Living Strong.
