I know a lot of people are going to hate me for joining the
chorus of criticism swarming around American cyclist Lance Armstrong. The sad reality is that if you want
controversy, if you want to shock society and if you want to get people talking,
nothing does the job like a fall from grace.
The fact that this man can go from being arguably the
greatest cyclist of all time to suffering the most severe stripping of titles
and accolades the sport has ever seen, is definitely going to get people
talking.
In his prime Lance Armstrong was more than just a sporting
hero. He was a human inspiration as a resilient survivor prostate cancer. His
victory over the life-threatening disease made him an icon among many young
people who saw his perseverance, grit and determination and as the attitude to
adopt in order to get out of their own troubles.
But for years Armstrong had been dealing with allegations
that he had been taking performance enhancing, doping drugs through the peak of
his career, which saw him win the Tour de France race seven years in a row.
But my problem is more with Armstrong’s recent response to
the allegations rather than the allegations themselves or whether he in fact
did dope during his career to win races.
Last week Armstrong announced that he would no longer dispute
or fight the accusations against him of taking performance enhancing drugs to
give him the edge in cycling races. He did not say he was guilty nor did he
imply it. He was simply saying “say what
you will, I give up”.
As a result he was stripped of every title and accolade he
had won over the past thirteen years and banned from the sport. This would be
heartbreaking moment for any athlete who has worked hard for years to reach a
position of prominence in their sporting code. In his heyday, Armstrong was to
cycling what Schumacher was to F1 or what Jordan
was basketball. The best. The epitome of greatness. All of this was dashed by
his jaw dropping surrender last week.
I know the cliché of not concerning oneself with what people
say has a lot of truth and relevance to it but in life sometimes your name is
all you have. What do you have, if not your ability to hold your head up head
up high in the world knowing you have your integrity intact?
I will not speculate as to whether Armstrong is guilty or
not. I don’t believe that’s my place. But I will say his giving up the fight to
clear his name, no matter how long and hard that fight may have been, flies in
the face of the don’t give up mantra that he demonstrated in the public eye
over the year.
We all remember what happened to Tiger Woods when his extramarital
scandals were exposed. The world was shocked and social commentators ate it up.
This seemed to cause considerable damage to Tiger’s name, which carries with it
a brand worth hundreds of millions, and dropped in the world rankings close to
number 60 after his bedtime shenanigans were made public knowledge.
If I knew I was innocent of such serious charges as those
face Armstrong, I would fight to the grave to make sure I do away with them.
But that’s just me. For anyone who has been passionate about anything in their
lives, Armstrong’s announcement was a disappointment. But the stripping of the
cycling titles, awards and banning Armstrong shows that there is something to
be lost in giving up – your good name.
President Nzumbi
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