By David McLaughlin - Jul 9, 2012 11:30 AM ET
Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, sued the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to block its effort to strip him of his cycling titles and impose a lifetime ban on his participation in the sport.
The agency is requiring Armstrong to decide by July 14 to accept sanctions or join an arbitration proceeding that he called “rigged” in papers filed today in federal court in Austin, Texas.
“Defendants have presented Mr. Armstrong with an impossible and unlawful choice: either accept a lifetime ban and the loss of his competitive achievements or endure a rigged process where he would be certain to lose,” according to the filing.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is the national anti-doping organization for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sport in the U.S. In June, it accused Armstrong and five others of engaging in a conspiracy to use and traffic prohibited substances, according to Armstrong’s court filing.
Armstrong is asking for a court order to stop the agency from imposing any sanctions and to stay the requirement that he decide about the arbitration by July 14, according to court papers.
The organization said in a statement that Armstrong’s complaint is without merit.
“We are confident the courts will continue to uphold the established rules which provide full constitutional due process and are designed to protect the rights of clean athletes and the integrity of sport,” it said.
The case is Armstrong v. U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, 12-00606, U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas (Austin).
To contact the reporter on this story: David McLaughlin in New York at dmclaughlin9@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: John Pickering at jpickering@bloomberg.net
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