The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)'s ongoing battle with the legendary Lance Armstrong has reached a surprising turn when Armstrong anounced he no longer wants to play, following the court's ruling that the court has no jurisdiction in the ongoing dispute between the USADA and Armstrong.
But the USADA's decision to strip Armstrong of all of his titles may be premature as it remains to be seen whether the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) shall pursuit its claims - that it has the sole jurisdiction regarding the claims against Armstrong's using forbidden substances when competing as a cyclist.
Whatever be the UCI's decision, I belong to those who think that this campaign by the USADA is a modern witch-hunt.
Why ? two simple reasons:
- Armstrong has undergone hundreds of tests during his amazing career without being caught using illegal materials even once.
- The current accusations are based on testimonies by athletes who have been caught cheating. No one is more willing to accuse a fellow man in a felony, than one caught in the crime. It makes one's crime appear less horrible if others, more prominent figures, did the same, and we can never truly know what incentives were promised by the USADA to get this cooperation.
The more one reads about this story, the more it appears to be a relentless persecution. After all, it would not be the first time in the history of humanity, when a regime that could not get accepted evidence against a a person it wanted to bring down, settled for the easiest evidence to produce - the testimony of a convicted criminal.
[Update, January 18th, 2013:
Apparently, USADA was right and I was wrong. Lance Armstrong "has admitted to using through most his cycling career a cocktail of drugs, including testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO."
I feel humbled before the conviction and determination of USADA, who turned out in the end as the good cop, persevering in the chase after the villain, despite wide public criticism.
To the feeling of betrayal by the athlete that has personified, for millions of admirers all over the world, the spirit of true sportsmanship, a worse, bitter taste is added: I fear that I will never be able to enjoy following competitive cycling again.
One positive lesson cannot be ignored in this lesson. Thanks to USADA, Abraham Lincoln's old maxim has been reaffirmed. Every competitive athlete will find it much easier to remember, after this affair, that -
[Update, January 18th, 2013:
Apparently, USADA was right and I was wrong. Lance Armstrong "has admitted to using through most his cycling career a cocktail of drugs, including testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO."
I feel humbled before the conviction and determination of USADA, who turned out in the end as the good cop, persevering in the chase after the villain, despite wide public criticism.
To the feeling of betrayal by the athlete that has personified, for millions of admirers all over the world, the spirit of true sportsmanship, a worse, bitter taste is added: I fear that I will never be able to enjoy following competitive cycling again.
One positive lesson cannot be ignored in this lesson. Thanks to USADA, Abraham Lincoln's old maxim has been reaffirmed. Every competitive athlete will find it much easier to remember, after this affair, that -
"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."]
