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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —Statement issued by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on
Friday: USADA announced today that Lance Armstrong has chosen not to move
forward with the independent arbitration process and as a result has received a
lifetime period of ineligibility and disqualification of all competitive results
from August 1, 1998 through the present, as the result of his anti-doping rule
violations stemming from his involvement in the United States Postal Service
(USPS) Cycling Team Doping Conspiracy (USPS Conspiracy). Following the dismissal
of Mr. Armstrongs lawsuit on Monday, August 20, 2012, by the federal court in
Austin, Texas, Mr. Armstrong had until midnight on Thursday, August 23, to
contest the evidence against him in a full evidentiary hearing with neutral
arbitrators as provided by U.S. law. However, when given the opportunity to
challenge the evidence against him, and with full knowledge of the consequences,
Mr. Armstrong chose not to contest the fact that he engaged in doping violations
from at least August 1, 1998 and participated in a conspiracy to cover up his
actions. As a result of Mr. Armstrongs decision, USADA is required under the
applicable rules, including the World Anti-Doping Code under which he is
accountable, to disqualify his competitive results and suspend him from all
future competition. “Nobody wins when an athlete decides to cheat with dangerous
performance enhancing drugs, but clean athletes at every level expect those of
us here on their behalf, to pursue the truth to ensure the win-at-all-cost
culture does not permanently overtake fair, honest competition” said USADA CEO,
Travis T. Tygart. “Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is
to initiate the case through the process and see it to conclusion as was done in
this case.” As is every athletes right, if Mr. Armstrong would have contested
the USADA charges, all of the evidence would have been presented in an open
legal proceeding for him to challenge. He chose not to do this knowing these
sanctions would immediately be put into place. The evidence against Lance
Armstrong arose from disclosures made to USADA by more than a dozen witnesses
who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their firsthand experience
and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS Conspiracy
as well as analytical data. As part of the investigation Mr. Armstrong was
invited to meet with USADA and be truthful about his time on the USPS team but
he refused. On June 12, 2012, USADA issued a notice letter informing Mr.
Armstrong and five other individuals, including the USPS team director, team
trainer and three team doctors, of USADAs intent to open proceedings against
them. On June 28, 2012, following a review process set forth in the applicable
rules, USADA notified Mr. Armstrong and the other five individuals that the
independent review panels finding confirmed sufficient and in fact overwhelming
evidence, and that USADA was charging them with rule violations. Numerous
witnesses provided evidence to USADA based on personal knowledge acquired,
either through direct observation of doping activity by Armstrong or through
Armstrongs admissions of doping to them that Armstrong used EPO, blood
transfusions, testosterone and cortisone during the period from before 1998
through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and hGH through
1996. Witnesses also provided evidence that Lance Armstrong gave to them,
encouraged them to use and administered doping products or methods, including
EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone during the period from 1999
through 2005. Additionally, scientific data showed Mr. Armstrongs use of blood
manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions during Mr. Armstrongs comeback
to cycling in the 2009 Tour de France. The anti-doping rule violations for which
Mr. Armstrong is being sanctioned are: (1)Use and/or attempted use of prohibited
substances and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone,
corticosteroids and masking agents. (2)Possession of prohibited substances
and/or methods including EPO, blood transfusions and related equipment (such as
needles, blood bags, storage containers and other transfusion equipment and
blood parameters measuring devices), testosterone, corticosteroids and masking
agents. (3)Trafficking of EPO, testosterone, and corticosteroids.
(4)Administration and/or attempted administration to others of EPO,
testosterone, and cortisone. (5)Assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting,
covering up and other complicity involving one or more anti-doping rule
violations and/or attempted anti-doping rule violations. These activities are
defined as anti-doping rule violations under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and
Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic Committee National
Anti-Doping Policies, USA Cycling rules and the International Cycling Union
(UCI) Anti-Doping Rules (UCI ADR), all of which have adopted the World
Anti-Doping Code (Code) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List.
In accordance with the Code, aggravating circumstances including involvement in
multiple anti-doping rule violations and participation in a sophisticated doping
scheme and conspiracy as well as trafficking, administration and/or attempted
administration of a prohibited substance or method, justify a period of
ineligibility greater than the standard sanction. Accordingly, Mr. Armstrong has
received a lifetime period of ineligibility for his numerous anti-doping rule
violations, including his involvement in trafficking and administering doping
products to others. A lifetime period of ineligibility as described in the Code
prevents Mr. Armstrong from participating in any activity or competition
organized by any signatory to the Code or any member of any signatory. In
addition to the lifetime ban, Mr. Armstrong will be disqualified from any and
all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to August 1, 1998, including
forfeiture of any medals, titles, winnings, finishes, points and prizes. As
noted above, Mr. Armstrong challenged the arbitration process in federal court.
In response, the court found that “the USADA arbitration rules, which largely
follow those of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) are sufficiently
robust to satisfy the requirements of due process.” USADAs rules provide that
where an athlete or other person is sanctioned because they fail to contest
USADAs charges in arbitration, the sanction shall not be reopened or subject to
appeal unless the athlete or other person can demonstrate that he did not
receive actual or constructive notice of the opportunity to contest the
sanction. Because Mr. Armstrong could have had a hearing before neutral
arbitrators to contest USADAs evidence and sanction and he voluntarily chose not
to do so, USADAs sanction is final. In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all
support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules
applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on
the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a
necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as
performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a
drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts
educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and
proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the
Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol
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recent call-ups and help stabilize the struggling group.ORLANDO, Fla. – Fred
Couples made four birdies in his opening six holes, shot 5-under 65, and golf
finally felt fun. Tiger Woods couldnt hit the green with a wedge, struggled to
shoot even par, and he finally looked human. The Arnold Palmer Invitational
delivered a few surprises Thursday, none bigger than the 48-year-old Couples
booming tee shots, taking only 23 putts and finishing atop the leaderboard with
J.J. Henry. This doesnt make me the guy to beat, Couples said. If I can play
like that, it makes it a lot easier. When you birdie four out of the first six
holes, theres not much that can bother you. In three previous trips to Bay Hill,
Henry had never done better than 71. He played under warm sunshine without a
bogey, making four birdie putts outside 15 feet. I feel like Ive been close, he
said. And today, finally, everything clicked. They were a stroke ahead of
defending champion Vijay Singh, Lee Westwood, Tom Lehman and Lucas Glover, who
got a pep talk from friends to quit being so hard on himself. Despite
consecutive bogeys, Glover kept his cool and ended a streak of eight consecutive
rounds without breaking 70. Stephen Ames of Calgary, the fields lone Canadian,
struggled to an opening-round 4-over 74. For Couples, it was his best score at
Bay Hill since a 63 in 1992, the year he won this tournament and was No. 1 in
the world. Woods is the worlds No. 1 player now, having won every tournament he
has played since September. It sure didnt look that way after a birdie on the
opening hole. He missed one green with a pitching wedge, another green with a
sand wedge, and settled for a 70 that left him five shots behind, but not in
awful shape. He didnt make a lot of putts, and Woods attributed that to the each
green having a different speed. But he took some of the blame. You had to make
adjustments on the fly, he said. It would have helped if I hit more greens. I
never gave myself a chance to make putts. I missed two greens with a pitching
wedge and a sand wedge. I dont ever do that. Woods headed home to sort it out,
not overly bothered by his worst start since the Deutsche Bank Championship,
which was the last time he failed to win. Besides, only 33 players managed to
break par. Phil Mickelson opened with a 72. Couples woke up early Thursday and
began visualizing his round, figuring out where would be his best chances at
birdie. He didnt see too many of those holes in his head, but it was a different
story on the golf course. Playing aggressively with a driver he could trust,
Couples rarely had more than wedge into the green, and the suspect condition of
the putting surfaces – they are recovering from a worm disease – didnt bother
him in the least. Im not saying theyre bad, Couples said. But I think Im a good
putter when theyre not ideal.dddddddddddd After hitting some 30 yards over the
green on the par-3 14th and saving par, the guy once known as Boom Boom ripped
another tee shot over the corner on the 15th for a wedge into about 10 feet for
his fourth birdie. His only bogey came on the par-3 17th with a shot into the
bleachers. And he almost dropped one at the end of his round. Surrounded by
trees right of the eighth fairway, where a pond guards the front of the green,
Couples looked cool as ever. He studied the top of the trees, looked to the
right of them, under them and out to the fairway, the whole time studying his
options as if he were admiring a piece of art. He finally selected an
eight-iron, and while it clipped a twig, the ball had just enough distance to
clear the water. He chipped to eight feet and saved par, and kept gliding to the
end of his round. I took 10 minutes to hit it, but I kept trying to visualize
just getting over the tree – not where I got it way up over it, so high and not
far enough, he said. I think it clipped a leaf, or clipped something. I smoked
it, and it was a yard from being in the water. Couples has not seen his name on
the leaderboard since his back-nine duel with Mickelson at the Masters two years
ago, when Lefty won his second green jacket. Couples gave him a good run,
describing his chances as only he can. I just couldnt match him when the
nitty-gritty was nitty-gritty, he said. Of course, Couples hasnt had a ton of
chances since then. He played only twice in the regular season a year ago
because of a back injury so severe that he contemplated life without golf. This
is his sixth start of the year, however, and while he knows his back can go at
any moment, hes relishing the times he plays well. My back will go out and when
it does, Ill know. And where I hit the ball, everyone else will know, Couples
said. But as far as worrying about it, theres not much you can do. Couples was
appointed Presidents Cup captain for 2009 earlier this month, and hes still
fired up about that. Most everyone believes hell be a good one, someone who
brings a relaxed atmosphere from the team room to the golf course. Woods has
played with him in the matches, and he has been paired with him on the weekend,
and he sees another side. Hes a lot more tense than people think, Woods said.
You see how he walks, his mannerisms. But below the surface, its raging pretty
good. Divots: Mickelson signed an endorsement deal with Barclays .. Couples
figures there are two directions John Daly can go after getting fired by swing
coach Butch Harmon and criticized for his social behaviour. He can read all this
stuff and say, The heck with it. Or he can read all this stuff and say, Maybe
theyre correct, Couples said. ’ ’ ’