Top 10 scandals in the history of sports

Lance Armstrong doping scandal, 1999-2005

Oprah Winfrey (R) speaks with Lance Armstrong during an interview regarding the controversy surrounding his cycling career on January 14, 2013.

Perhaps no other story gave hope to millions of people battling cancer than Lance Armstrong’s story did. He had battled testicular cancer which had spread to his brain and lungs to come back and win the challenging Tour de France a record seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005. He had set up the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer patients and the world heralded him as a saint.

And in one fell swoop, his entire world came crashing down and thereby shattering the faith that millions of people worldwide had in the cyclist. In 2012, the U.S Anti-Doping Agency stated that Lance Armstrong had used performance enhancing drugs during the years he won the seven Tour de France titles. Armstrong denied all the charges as he was stripped of all his titles as well as other races he’d won between 1999 and 2005. He was also banned from competitive cycling for life.

The USADA statement said, “The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team (Armstrong’s team) ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that the sport had ever seen.” Testimonies from other team members revealed that Armstrong was the main man responsible for the team’s doping process.

And in January 2013, Armstrong came forward in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey and admitted to using substances that enhanced his performance throughout his career, “I am deeply flawed and I’m paying the price for it, and I think that’s okay. I deserve this.” When he was asked why he took drugs, he responded by saying he had a “ruthless desire to win”.

The fallout of Armstrong’s confession was massive as Nike, who helped raise more than $100 million for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, pulled out of the nine year partnership. They had already stopped sponsoring Armstrong when the USADA’s exposed his doping program.