Armstrong escapes punishment

Lance Armstrong will not face any penalty from the French anti-doping agency AFLD after they accused him of failing to fully comply with an official.

Armstrong could have faced a suspension after leaving the sight of an official who visited him at home in France last month to collect samples.

However, the AFLD issued a statement today to say no action would be taken after Armstrong wrote a letter explaining his actions.

“The AFLD has decided to take into account the written explanation and not initiate any disciplinary proceedings,” the statement read.

The AFLD added that Armstrong’s test results from that day were clean.

Writing on his Twitter account, the seven-time Tour de France winner wrote: “Just got the word from the French agency AFLD on the shower-gate incident. Case closed, no penalty, all samples clean. Onward.”

Armstrong had feared he could receive a ban from competing in this year’s Tour, the central target of his comeback from retirement.