Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Monday it had ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) sanctions.
The decision was announced at a UCI news conference.
"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling," UCI President Pat McQuaid said as he confirmed the ratification.
On Oct. 10, USADA published a report into Armstrong which alleged the now retired American rider had been involved in the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."
Armstrong, 41, had previously elected not to contest USADA charges, prompting the agency to propose his punishment pending confirmation from cycling's world governing body.
Former Armstrong teammates at his U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel outfits, where he won his seven straight Tour titles from 1999 to 2005, testified against him and were given reduced bans by the American authorities.
Armstrong, once widely accepted as one of the greatest cyclists of all time, and one who fought back from cancer to dominate the sport, has always denied doping and maintains he has never failed a doping test.
He said he had stopped contesting the charges after years of probes and rumours because "there comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, 'Enough is enough.'"
McQuaid, whose organization has long battled a major doping problem throughout the sport, added: "This is not the first time cycling has reached a crossroads and has had to start anew."
McQuaid said he would not be resigning.
Meanwhile, Oakley is the latest corporate sponsor to drop Armstrong.
A wave of sponsors dropping Armstrong crested last week, around the same time Armstrong stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer charity.
Oakley said it was waiting to hear UCI's decision. Now, the sunglass and sports clothing maker says it is severing ties effective immediately.
Other sponsors that have dropped Armstrong include Nike, Trek Bicycles, Anheuser-Busch, 24 Hour Fitness and Honey Stinger.
