DISGRACED FORMER CYCLIST Lance Armstrong has pulled out of his speaking engagement at Dublin’s RDS tomorrow due to “legal reasons”.
The 44-year-old had been scheduled to feature in a “no holds barred” public interview at the One Zero conference with journalist Ewan MacKenna, his only planned speaking appearance in Europe.
But Armstrong, who took part in a testy radio interview with Newstalk’s Off The Ball earlier this month, has today withdrawn from the event because of an upcoming court case.
“Armstrong, who had been contracted to speak at the event since August, cancelled on the advice of his legal team due to the upcoming Federal court case brought against him on behalf of the US Postal Service,” an official statement said.
“The organisers received communication from Armstrong’s team earlier today, stating he was no longer willing to travel to Ireland and participate in the planned interview with Ewan MacKenna.”
With ticket prices ranging from €175-€475 the decision will come as a major disappointment to organisers and many of those who had hoped to see one of the world’s most infamous sportspeople in the flesh.
Co-founder of One Zero Rob Hartnett was clearly displeased with the news.
“We are extremely disappointed that Armstrong has withdrawn at the last minute from appearing at One Zero. He has let us down, he has let his fans down and he has let those down that wanted to hear him openly discuss his past and the future of sport,” Hartnett said in a statement.
The organisers have since confirmed that they won’t be offering refunds on tickets.
Armstrong was famously stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, won from 1999-2005, in 2012 after the extent of his doping was revealed in a United States Anti-Doping Agency report.
Other leading figures from the world of sport, such as Irish golfer Shane Lowry, Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh and England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward, will still be speaking at the ‘sports and tech’ conference.
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