France strips Armstrong of honours

Lance Armstrong has been stripped of a prestigious award by France.

The cyclist was given the rank of Chevalier – or Knight – in the Legion d’Honneur in 2005, the last year of his seven consecutive Tour de France victories. He was later stripped of those titles for doping.

A Legion of Honour official said she was unable to indicate when the decision was made to remove Armstrong’s award. She said the organisation does not traditionally announce it publicly when recipients lose their decoration.

The Legion of Honour was created under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, and roughly one million people have received it over the years. It is France’s highest honour.