Lance Armstrong sees condemnations for questioning the "Fairness of Trans Athletes in sport"

Former cyclist Lance Armstrong faced backlash on social media for questioning the "fairness" of transgender people in sports.

Armstrong made a video to his three million followers on Twitter, stating his opinion about the "Fairness of Trans Athletes in sport."

Lance Armstrong's tweet had seen his fans share their opinions on the question of whether or not someone with Armstrong's history of cheating should be in charge of conducting such a discussion. Matthew Dowd, a political analyst, seemed shocked that the disgraced cyclist was 'lecturing people about fairness in sports.'

Dowd stated:

However, Armstrong responded to Matthew Dowd by stating that he was not actually lecturing anyone but bringing all sides to the table.

However several fans have shown their support for Matthew Dowd, as an Indian lawyer reacted and said:

Despite the trans backlash, many still believe it's important not to shut down important conversations like these given their significance in our modern age. Who has what rights? And what responsibilities should justify those rights?

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Lance Armstrong's tarnished career and his parallel to the Trans People in Sports Debate

Lance Armstrong is the most famous rider in the history of cycling. The American cyclist won the Tour de France a total of seven times in a row, from 1999 to 2005, making him the most successful athlete in the history of the sport.

Lance Armstrong was banned from professional cycling in 2012 and had seen all of his seven Tour de France victories removed as a result of his doping. He was stripped of his awards and titles when he was exposed for using drugs to enhance his performance for a significant portion of his career. This led to the former athlete's reputation and legacy being tarnished.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency made public more than a thousand pages of information pertaining to his doping allegations.

In an interview, he admitted:

“I have already told too many lies and I can't allow myself to tell more. But I repeat, in 2009, I stayed well away from doping. I think the urine and blood samples from that year are still available. If someone goes and controls them, they wouldn't find traces of doping in mine.”

He was further asked if he would dope again, and he made the following statement:

"If I was racing in 2015, no, I wouldn't do it again because I don't think you have to. If you take me back to 1995, when doping was completely pervasive, I would probably do it again."

Nonetheless, Lance Armstrong's case study provides an interesting parallel to the debate surrounding trans people in sports. Is it possible to compete fairly when one has a biological advantage over the competition?