Few months ago, Floyd Landis made controversial revelations where he accused his former team mate Lance Armstrong of doping. The information which he sent to the anti-doping authorities and the cycling organization does not only focused on the alleged doping of the 7 time world cycling champion. Landis told the media that Armstrong was involved in using performance enhancing drugs like the blood boosting EPO and blood transfusions during Tour de France competitions. And the most intriguing revelation was the alleged bribery of cycling officials so that the positive test for EPO of Armstrong will not go public.

Landis was able to get the attention he wants. Almost everybody is now interested in knowing the truth whether Armstrong really doped to get his titles. A federal investigation is now launched to shed light into this matter. Jeff Novitsky of the US Food and Drug Administration is spearheading the investigation. According to some online sources, the investigation against Armstrong is not only focused on his alleged doping but also involved other possible charges like tax evasion, conspiracy and fraud. They are looking whether Armstrong defraud the US Postal Service who sponsored the team for 8 years. They will also explore the possibility that Lance was involved in illegal importation of performance enhancing drugs and purchase these drugs using money from his alleged fraudulent contracts.

In an interview on Wednesday, Lance Armstrong denied that he held any equity in the team. He was simply a rider of the Tailwind sports, the owner of the team. He also said that it was later acquired by Capital Sports and Entertainment led by two of his associates. “I never had any dealings, any dealings, with the Postal Service, zero and I never made any assertions either way,” he said. “That’s the truth, and that’s what’s in the contracts, and that’s what will come out.”

Armstrong, who is currently competing in the Tour de France, never forgets to say something against his former team mate. “Landis’s credibility is like a carton of sour milk: once you take the first sip, you don’t have to drink the rest to know it’s all gone bad. The article is full of false accusations from a person with zero credibility,” Armstrong said on the allegations of his EPO use.

The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency said last month that the accusation against Armstrong is something that should be taken into consideration. WADA’s director general David Howman is hoping that the investigation will be a fruitful one. “But this is going to take some time because we’re not really talking about a simple antidoping case here. Remember the BALCO case, how long that took? Well, we could be still talking about this one in 2016,” Howman told the NY Times.

The inquiry on Lance Armstrong becomes a global issue. Howman confirmed to the media that the Interpol is now involved and the European anti-doping organizations were already contacted. “This investigation has been going on for many weeks and I think it is a significant inquiry. And it’s one that might go on for many more weeks because it essentially started with a US inquiry and is spreading,” Howman said. The anti-doping agency is now persuading people to cooperate in the investigation.

An insider also told the Washington Post that there are already two respondents who are willing to help in the investigation. They confirmed some of the allegations of Floyd Landis. Former US Postal Service riders George Hincapie, Tyler Hamilton, David Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde were already contacted by Novitsky.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS