Armstrong leaves the presidency of the Livestrong Foundation and Nike takes away the sponsorship

Lance Armstrong has stepped down as chairman of the charity he founded, Livestrong, after the US anti-doping agency banned him for life. In addition, the sportswear company Nike has announced the termination of his contract with Lance Armstrong due to the “evidence apparently insurmountable” that the former American cyclist doped, in light of the report published by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

“Because of the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping y has been fooling Nike for over a decade, we terminate our contract with great sadness. Nike does not advise the use of illegal drugs to improve performance in any way," the US company said in a brief statement, which will maintain its support for the Livestrong Foundation "created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer".

Last week, Nike explained that he planned to keep his support for Armstrong and even announced the sponsorship of football organized by Livestrong. "He has declared his innocence and that is why we plan to continue supporting Lance and his Foundation, an organization created by Armstrong to serve those who have suffered from cancer," said the brand then, which has now chosen to break its contract with the Texan

This change of course it comes after the diary New York Daily News has ensured that the sports firm allegedly delivered $500.000 to the International Cycling Union (UCI) for the organization to hide a positive result in an anti-doping control, something that the company would have denied.

Rasmussen supports the American

The Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen He showed his “enormous respect” for Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner, on Tuesday, despite accusations against him launched by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). "I've always had a huge respect towards him as a rival, and the USADA report has not changed that”, says Rasmussen in statements to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

Rasmussen was fired by the Rabobank Dutch during the dispute Tour de France 2007, when he was leader, for lying about his whereabouts before the test, which later earned him a two-year ban from the International Cycling Union (UCI). Rasmussen, 38, who has always denied doping, continues to run for Christina Watches-Onfone, a small Danish team.

His ex-partner Matt White, fired

The Cycling Federation of Australia has announced that it is terminating its contract with Matt White as the national coordinator of the road team, after he admitted that he had doped in the past. The Australian issued a statement last Saturday in which he confessed that he took banned substances while he was a member of Lance Armstrong's US Postal team between 2001 and 2003, according to ABC radio.

Source: cadenaser.com