Lance Armstrong steps down as Livestrong chairman
Posted October 17, 2012 9:23 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
AUSTIN, Texas – Lance Armstrong stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer-fighting charity Wednesday and Nike severed ties with him as fallout from the doping scandal swirling around the cyclist escalated.
Armstrong announced his move at the charity in an early-morning statement.
Within minutes, Nike said that it would end its relationship with him Meanwhile, Nike said it has terminated its contract with Lance Armstrong “due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.
Nike added: “It is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him. Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner.”
However, the company said it plans to continue to support Livestrong initiatives.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a massive report last week detailing allegations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his teams when he won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005.
The document’s purpose was to show why USADA has banned him from cycling for life and ordered 14 years of his career results erased, including those Tour titles. It contains sworn statements from 26 witnesses, including 11 former teammates.
Armstrong, who was not paid a salary as chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, will remain on its 15-member board. His duties leading the board will be turned over to vice chairman Jeff Garvey, who was founding chairman in 1997.
“This organization, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart,” Armstrong said in a statement. “Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship.”
Armstrong strongly denies doping, but did not fight USADA accusations through arbitration, saying he thinks the process is unfair.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, commonly known as Livestrong, was founded in 1997 and has raised around $500 million to support cancer patients. The group has scheduled its 15th anniversary celebration for this weekend.
Armstrong’s inspiring story of not only recovering from testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain but then winning the world’s best-known bike race helped his foundation grow from a small operation in Texas into one of the most popular charities in the country.
Armstrong drew legions of fans and donations, and insisted he was drug free at a time when doping was rampant in professional cycling. In 2004, the foundation introduced the yellow “Livestrong” bracelets, selling more than 80 million and creating a global symbol for cancer awareness and survivorship.
