Armstrong disgrace sad: IOC chief

LAUSANNE: Lance Armstrong’s doping scandal was both disappointing and sad, according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge.

Rogge – who steps down as president in September after 12 years in charge – added that if the American was truly contrite he could in future act as an example to younger cyclists.

Armstrong had already been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and his 2000 Olympic bronze medal before making his personal confession to American talk show host Oprah Winfrey last week. “Armstrong’s is a sad story but one has to take this as an opportunity,” said Rogge.

“It is a pivotal moment for cycling. There is a new spirit within cycling. The fight should be intensified in terms of the role the entourage has played. The athletes are not the only ones implicated in doping. The entourage gives bad advice to the athletes.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2013.