's
roles as the chairman of Livestrong, which is a cancer foundation, and
the icon of Nike came to an end. The famous bike racing athlete
declared that he quit his position as the chairman of Livestrong on
Wednesday, October 17. Nike also clarified that it wouldn't give any
sponsorship to the famous athlete anymore.
Armstrong stated on Livestrong's official site, "This organization, its
mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart... I have
had the great honor of serving as this foundation's chairman for the
last five years and its mission and success are my top priorities." He
continued, "Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative
effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I
will conclude my chairmanship."
He will be replaced by Vice Chairman Jeff Garvey. About Garvey,
Amstrong commented, "Jeff's guidance and wisdom have been critical to
shaping the foundation's work since its earliest days. Jeff was this
organization's founding chairman and I have full confidence that under
his leadership, the foundation will continue expanding its ability to
serve cancer survivors."
Meanwhile, Nike stated on its official website, "Due to the seemingly
insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and
misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we
have terminated our contract with him." It said further, "Nike does not
condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner."
On Tuesday, October 16, the sports equipment company called Armstrong's
longtime representative Bill Stapleton, telling him that they dropped
their agreement with the 41-year-old biker which was worth millions of
dollars. It didn't give any room for negotiation. "We were Nike
family," Stapleton said.
Armstrong has experienced several breakdowns with sponsors lately as
the effect of his Tour de France winning teams doping scandal, which
was alleged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Anheuser-Bush
stated that it wouldn't continue its sponsorship with the famous
Texas-born biker. According to a source, RadioShack also cut its
contract of personal services with the athlete.
Among others, which dropped their sponsorship of him, were Giro, Trek,
Honey Stinger, and FRS. 24 Hour Fitness also stated, "Given the
evidence surrounding Lance Armstrong's alleged actions, we have
determined that our business relationship with Armstrong no longer
aligns with our company's mission and values." A sunglasses production,
Oakley, would review its collaboration with the star who played a cameo
in "".
In June, Armstrong was officially charged by the United States
Anti-Doping Agency with doping and trafficking of drugs, according to
2009 and 2010 blood samples. Some cyclists also testified against the
biker but he denied it. He then decided not to challenge the
organization's charges. According to WADA Code, his failure to dispute
the charges made him lose all awards, prizes, as well as his Tour
titles given to him after August 1, 1998. He is also not allowed to
participate in any sports that use the World Anti-Doping Code.