Lance Armstrong doping investigation dropped

A stalemate in the debate over how to deal with the use of anabolic steroids in sport could be marked by the decision by US prosecutors to drop a two-year doping investigation of legendary Tour de France champion, Lance Armstrong.

The cyclist was being investigated for possible crimes ranging from defrauding the government, conspiring with other cyclists for substance distribution, and trafficking.

From Alaskadispatch.com:

But the decision by US Attorney Andre Birotte on Friday to close the Armstrong investigation comes after a number of high-profile prosecutions managed to raise awareness about the seriousness of doping, but failed to produce significant legal victories against the defendants.

In a 2011 federal trial, retired home run king Barry Bonds escaped serious criminal charges after becoming one of 86 baseball players in the 2007 Mitchell Report linked to doping. Last year, the judge in the Roger Clemens perjury trial quickly declared a mistrial after a prosecutor introduced disallowed evidence to jurors. Clemens is slated for a retrial in April.

In both those cases, the government wasn't trying to prove the sports stars took illegal steroids, but that they lied to investigators – and, in Clemens' case, to Congress – during the investigation.

“The United States Attorney determined that a public announcement concerning the closing of the investigation was warranted by numerous reports about the investigation in media outlets around the world,” US Attorney Andre Birotte said in a statement.