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Armstrong Plans to Enter Swimming Competition Armstrong Scraps Plans to Enter Swimming Competition
(about 2 hours later)
Lance Armstrong, who is serving a lifetime ban from Olympic sports because of serious doping violations, is planning to return to athletic competition this week at a masters swimming event that does not test its athletes for drugs. Lance Armstrong, who is serving a lifetime ban from Olympic sports because of serious doping violations, planned to return to athletic competition this week at a masters swimming event that does not test its athletes for drugs. But after learning of Armstrong’s entry, the International Swimming Federation on Thursday put a stop to his plans.
Armstrong, who in January confessed to doping throughout most of his cycling career, is slated to compete at the Masters South Central Zone Swimming Championships this weekend in his adopted hometown, Austin, Tex. He has been training for the event for several months and plans to swim in the meet’s three longest races. Armstrong, who in January confessed to doping for each of his record seven Tour de France victories, was barred from this weekend’s event and future events sanctioned by U.S. Masters Swimming because that organization is overseen by swimming’s international federation, which adheres to World Anti-Doping Agency’s rules. Armstrong, 41, received his lifetime ban and was stripped of his Tour titles under those rules.
Some sporting officials, however, are warning him not to dive into the pool just yet. Though Ed Coates, the director of this weekend’s masters meet, and Rob Butcher, the executive director of U.S. Masters Swimming, said Armstrong was free to compete in the event, officials from the International Swimming Federation on Thursday morning were reviewing their rules to determine Armstrong’s eligibility. Armstrong, who came clean about his doping partly in an effort reduce his lifetime ban because he so badly wants to compete again, did not respond to a text message seeking comment.
This weekend’s masters event, in which Armstrong, 41, would compete in the 40-to-44 age category, is sanctioned by South Texas LMSC, an arm of U.S. Masters Swimming, which is a member of United States Aquatic Sports. And therein is the potential problem for Armstrong, who came clean several months ago partly to try to reduce his lifetime ban because he so badly wants to compete again. Rob Butcher, the executive director of U.S. Masters Swimming, said he contacted Armstrong’s agent Thursday to tell him that Armstrong could not compete. In turn, Armstrong withdrew from the competition.
United States Aquatic Sports is a member of the International Swimming Federation, which goes by FINA, its initials in French. FINA oversees Olympic swimming and so it follows the World Anti-Doping Code under which Armstrong is serving his ban. “They said, listen, we don’t want to create a P.R. nightmare for you guys, Lance just thought it would be fun to swim with the teammates he has been training with down there in Austin, in his own backyard,” Butcher said.
Armstrong did not return a text message for comment. As soon as Butcher learned on Wednesday that Armstrong was entered into the competition -- the Masters South Central Zone Swimming Championships -- he contacted United States Aquatic Sports, which oversees U.S. Masters Swimming, and also reached out to the International Swimming Federation to see if Armstrong would be allowed to compete. The international federation met on Thursday to discuss the issue and decided that Armstrong should be barred from the event.
Butcher, of U.S. Masters Swimming, said that no one has filed a grievance regarding Armstrong’s participation in the event. But comments on the Austin-American Statesman’s Web site after an article about Armstrong’s competitive comeback revealed some ire. Armstrong, who has competed as a swimmer since he was child, had planned to compete in the three longest events of the meet, the 500-, 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyles. He was among the top seeds in his events and would have competed in the 40-44 age category.
“Hey Lance, no matter what you do, you will always be a liar and a dishonest cheat with no character,” said someone going by the name “LcplDevildog.” “They should not allow him to dirty another sport.” Butcher said Armstrong has been a member of U.S. Masters Swimming for several years and is still eligible to practice with his Western Hills Athletic Club team in Austin. But there will be no official races for Armstrong, and some masters swimmers welcome that.
After more than a decade of lying about his performance-enhancing drug use before coming clean in January, Armstrong’s reputation is still in tatters. Apart from a trip to Los Angeles, where paparazzi shot photos of him dining at a popular restaurant, he has remained out of the public eye. Until now. Armstrong’s participation in this weekend’s meet drew an angry reaction. Butcher said he received several emails from people complaining about Armstrong, arguing against him being allowed to compete. Readers who commented on an article in The Austin American-Statesman about Armstrong’s competitive comeback also expressed ire.
Earlier this week, he e-mailed the swimming event’s registrar, Liz Mason, who saw the name on the note and thought to herself, “This poor guy has the same name as Lance Armstrong the cyclist. Oh, how unfortunate.” “Hey Lance, no matter what you do, you will always be a liar and a dishonest cheat with no character,” said someone going by the name LcplDevildog. “They should not allow him to dirty another sport.”
After more than a decade of lying about his performance-enhancing drug use, Armstrong came clean and admitted using banned drugs like EPO and testosterone. He also confessed to using banned blood transfusions to gain an edge in endurance, and was accused by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and former teammates of being the kingpin of the doping on his Tour-winning teams.
His reputation is in tatters. He is no longer officially involved with the Livestrong Foundation, the cancer charity he founded after surviving testicular cancer, after stepping down from his roles there. Apart from a trip to Los Angeles, where paparazzi shot photos of him dining at a popular restaurant, he has remained out of the public eye. Until now.
Earlier this week, he sent an e-mail to the swimming event’s registrar, Liz Mason, who saw the name on the note and said she thought to herself, “This poor guy has the same name as Lance Armstrong the cyclist. Oh, how unfortunate.”