WADA Talks with Betsy Andreu

In this final edition of WADA Talks of 2015, we sat down with renowned whistleblower Betsy Andreu, the wife of former United States Postal Service cyclist, Frankie Andreu; and, the cover feature ‘champion’ of WADA’s latest Play True magazine. 

As part of our ongoing efforts to encourage whistleblowers to come forward, we sat down with Betsy to discuss her incredible story and why she chose to take on the fight of her life, which resulted in Lance Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and being handed a lifetime ban from competition.

Betsy looks back at her personal exposure to doping, the effects it had on her family and the importance of anti-doping organizations such as WADA and The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

In the interview, Betsy talks about the personal risks associated with whistleblowing on an athlete as popular and inspirational as Lance Armstrong was at the time.

In discussing how she endured, over 15 years of pressure, scrutiny and intimidation, Andreu said: “He [Lance Armstrong] had money, sponsors, adoring fans, the cycling federation on his side, and the media in his back pocket. I just had one thing: the truth.”  She chose truth over riches…peace of mind over compromise.

WADA Talks sees the agency’s Senior Manager, Media Relations and Communications, Ben Nichols, interviewing leading figures from the athlete community, sport, government and other partners involved in the clean sport movement.

To watch WADA Talks with Betsy Andreu, and to see other videos from the Agency’s collection, please visit the WADA Talks Playlist on WADA’s YouTube Channel.

Download the latest edition of our Betsy Andreu-cover feature Play True Magazine to discover more about Betsy and her courageous fight to protect the clean athlete.