What did Lance Armstrong say about trans athletes? Fairness tweets controversy explained amid online backlash

On Saturday, June 24, former American road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong took to Twitter to release a teaser video that shows him on his way to speak with former Olympic gold medallist and media personality, Caitlyn Jenner. The clipping was part of a special series of his upcoming podcast, The Forward where he talked about transgender representation in sports.

In relation to his appearance on the podcast, Armstrong put out a series of tweets, one of which received a significant backlash from twitteratti.

Lance Armstrong's tweet about trans representation in sports. (Image via Twitter/Lance Armstrong)

While he vouched for trans athletes and said that he wanted to see more trans participation in sports, his tweet on the "fairness" of their representation in different forms of sports, including cycling, sparked critical reactions among netizens. People thought he was the least qualified to have such a conversation as he resorted to many unfair means during his career, which includes several instances of doping.

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Lance Armstrong feels people “are afraid to be fired, shamed or canceled” to discuss transgender representation in sports

The former cyclist, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 after being found guilty of many doping offenses, has found himself amidst a new controversy.

He said in a now-viral tweet Twitter thread that he was willing to discuss the much-needed subject of trans representation in sports and that he approached it “with an open mind in an attempt to learn as much as possible from all sides of the debate.”

In addition, the former cyclist said that he was not afraid to speak out and thought it was an important conversation that should be handled in a certain way. According to Lance Armstrong:

“The best way to have these conversations…is to just go in fearless.”

Although he talked in favor of trans representation in sports, what caught him in controversy was his tweet on "fairness." As soon as netizens saw Armstrong talk about the “fairness” of representing trans people in sports and other competitive events, it earned him severe online backlash.

Netizens thought Lance Armstrong was in no position to talk about “fairness” as he was dismissed due to drug offenses and was even reported cheating during professional cycling tournaments. As a result, they called out his hypocrisy.

A netizen accusing Lance Armstrong of lecturing about "fairness." (Image via Twitter/Lee Hurley)

A Twitter user mocking Armstrong for his hypocrisy. (Image via Twitter/Brian McGinnis)

A tweet indirectly reminding everyone of Armstrong's doping scandal. (Image via Twitter/Colby Gordon)

A Twitter user feels Armstrong can never be in a position to understand the plight of trans people in sports. (Image via Twitter/Jonathan Slotkin, MD)

A netizen feels Lance is not the right "mouthpiece" for such a "discussion." (Image via Twitter/Brian Cuban)

Interestingly, Caitlyn Jenner herself identifies as a trans woman and has been vocal about her sexuality. Moreover, transgender participation in women’s professional cycling has finally taken off since the beginning of this year.

For instance, a transgender woman named Austin Killips won the Tour of the Gila event, following which questions have been raised on transgender participation rules wherein both the Union Cycliste Internationale and USA Cycling were slammed.

In fact, transgender participation is still looked down upon in the sports circle with people calling out federations for allowing them to compete. An example of this was when 35-time national cyclocross winner Hannah Arensman left the sport permanently after she finished fourth between Killips and another transgender athlete in 2022. She felt she was overlooked for a spot on the US team for Cyclocross Worlds which she deserved

Likewise, a 3-time Olympic cyclist Inga Thompson also protested against transgender participation rules around the same time.

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The decline of Lance Armstrong

Born Lance Edward Armstrong, the former cyclist rose to fame when he won seven consecutive titles at the Tour de France from 1999 to 2005. Nicknamed Le Boss and Big Tex, the 51-year-old from Texas was active till 2012 until he was stripped of his titles after an investigation proved that he used drugs to enhance his performances.

Some of the notable tournaments where he won include Tour de Luxembourg (1998), Tour DuPont (1995,1996), and World Road Race Championships (1993).

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