Landis Says Goodbye to his Title After All
By Audrey Nolan
The long-lasting controversy of Floyd Landis came to an end this week after more than 24 months of a court trial; involving the Arbitration of Sports in regards to the doping scandal in which the professional cyclist was involved during the 2006 Tour de France. There was stipulated that he will be removed from his title and he will have to pay a $100,000in legal fees tot eh US Anti-Doping Agency.
“I am saddened by today’s decision,” Landis said in his statement. “I am looking into my legal options and deciding on the best way to proceed.” He has 30 days to appeal at the Swiss Federal court.
The brief which was delivered by the sports panel concluded that Landis’ analysis was tested positive therefore; he incurred in a fraudulent action besides the intended cover up in the laboratories where his samples were being processed.
They also concluded that Landis’ intentions were towards a bad behavior which shames the French Lab to start with as well as the sport itself and the professional competition known as the Tour de France. At the end, Landis tested positive for doping.
“Some people crossed the line, acting for the most part as advocates for the Appellants’ cause, and not as scientists objectively assisting the Panel in the search for truth,” the decision read.
The jury’s finals decision was given one week previous to the start of the Tour de France; while the head of the USADA did mention to be pleased with the latest news regarding the penalty Landis will be facing due to his wrongdoing and bad judgment; more less a lesson for the other cyclists.
On the other hand, Landis did expect a different result and to get his title back as Landis refers to the case to be unfair and extremely rigid towards him.
“That’s always been part of the system, that they’ve always had more resources than the athlete. This is the first time it’s even been close,” Landis’ attorney, Maurice Suh mentioned in an interview last year.
Landis’ case is worth approximately $2 million due to the time it has taken as well as all the different entities involved such as; the lab, the USADA and international doping arbitrators. This will certainly set a precedent on how this type of issues should be managed as well as the labs that have to be chosen for these tests.
As the press handled this case as a set up show it was just bad from all ends for Landis and his image and his future in the professional cycling world. His finances have also been damaged and he will face all the consequences of his acting. Though; he will certainly make history for being the first cyclist to lose the Tour de France title due to a doping violation which led to the unfold of a sad discovery for the sport worldwide.
About the author:
Audrey Nolan is a high-ranking writer on sports for the online betting industry. Feel free to reprint this article in its whole on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Technorati Tags: Floyd Landis, Arbitration of Sports, doping scandal, Tour de France, US Anti-Doping Agency, USADA, Maurice Suh, cycling
