Lance Armstrong Banned From Chicago Marathon

Lance Armstrong will not be able to officially run in the Chicago Marathon in September. City officials decided this week to uphold a ruling by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

The USADA issued a ruling in August in which it stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and then banned him from “all sports” for life.

According to Runner’s World Armstrong’s spokesman Mark Fabiani revealed:

“We got the news (Thursday).”

Armstrong’s fundraising organization Livestrong is running a team at the event in the hopes of raising money for cancer programs. Livestrong has sponsored races and runners at the Chicago marathon in the past.

The decision to cut off Lance Armstrong from the race was ultimately made by USA Track & Field which is responsible for enforcing rules.

John Conley, whose company owns and operates the Livestrong Austin Marathon and Half Marathon said of the decision:

“It seems a little over the top to pursue him beyond the cycling arena to me.”

Armstrong has been met with plenty of resistance lately, including calls for him to end his decathlon and other sporting hopes.

Lance Armstrong continues to claim his innocence, although he is no longer pursuing legal action against governing bodies.

In the meanwhile Lance Armstrong can still count on his sponsors, many who have pledged their allegiance to the cyclists even after his titles were stripped and his competitive future was brought into question.

Do you think Lance Armstrong should be allowed to run in the Chicago marathon since his appearance would be used to raise money for cancer charities?