Product Linked to Armstrong Banned by IOC

The product at the core of doping allegations against Lance Armstrong’s team in the Tour de France was banned Tuesday by the International Olympic Committee.

Armstrong, meanwhile, said he might not defend his championship in next year’s Tour if charges of drug use continue.

The IOC medical commission said Actovegin, containing extracts of calf’s blood, was banned as blood doping.

Actovegin, which improves the circulation of oxygen in the blood when injected into the body, has been at the center of controversy since October, when French authorities opened an investigation into whether the U.S. Postal Service team used banned substances during the 2000 Tour. Armstrong, who came back from cancer, won the Tour for the second consecutive year.

He and the team have repeatedly denied using banned drugs.

“Before this ordeal I had never heard of it [Actovegin], nor had my teammates,” Armstrong said on his Web site.

Armstrong said the drugs and medical products found near the team were simply tools to treat 25-50 people on the Tour over three weeks.

“If something were to go wrong with any of them, he [the team doctor] would be responsible for their well-being. That’s why he would have things like adrenaline, cortisone, scissors, stitches, etc.,” Armstrong said. “Some may be viewed as ‘performance enhancers,’ but they’re not used in that sense.

“I will say that if the current situation [charges of drug abuse] exists, then I will not ride the Tour in 2001. Period.”