Lance Armstrong has been formally served with doping allegations by the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA).
The seven-time winner of the Tour de France and five other members of the former US Postal squad, including three team doctors and two officials, have been sent letters as “the first step in the multi-step legal process for alleged sport anti-doping rule violations.”
In a strongly worded statement, Travis T Tygart, CEO of USADA, said his organization only initiated actions based on 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.
“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.,” said Tygart.
He stressed that all individuals named in the case would be presumed innocent “unless and until proven otherwise through the established legal process.”
Armstrong, who has consistently denied wrongdoing and saw a US Justice Department inquiry into doping allegations against him dropped earlier this year , hit out at USADA’s latest action.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“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.
“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.”
USADA has refused to make further comment “unless or until it is appropriate.”
