Lance Armstrong Confession may Implicate Cycling from Olympics
Lance Armstrong may face a lifetime ban from cycling if he does not confess under oath for using performance enhancers during games, as reported by The LA Times.
This is just one of the recent developments following his astounding closed-doors interview and confession with TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. But what may get other cyclists in an uproar, as the Sydney Morning Herald reports, would be the possibility of cycling being scrapped from the Olympics, depending on the extent the governing sports body has in the conspiracy behind Armstrong and doping.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said: "The only way it (cycling) is going to clean up is if all these people say 'hey, we're no longer in the Olympics and that's where we want to be so let's earn our way back into it."
New Issues
Armstrong's interview with Oprah was said to have brought some surprising issues to light. As she recounted in an interview with CBS This Morning, no harsh probing was necessary to get the truth in the open. To quote Oprah from The Australian, "It was surprising to me. I would say that for myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers."
However, the entire story is not just about a simple admission. As early as 1995, Armstrong has faced several allegations regarding the issue of using performance-enhancers. Even after federal investigations have been dropped, The Australian reports that the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) took charge in the investigation.
The investigation revealed a potentially complex and well-thought of doping program in sports, with Armstrong at its helm. In USA Today, George Hincapie, Armstrong former teammate, said in a statement that the blood booster EPO had been an enhancer choice used in the mid-90s to compete.
Armstrong's Losses Mound
Armstrong has been stripped of seven Tour de France titles, lost all his endorsements, or has had to step down as a board member of his cancer charity, Livestrong as early as last year, October, following the issuance of USADA's investigation results.
Because of his now questionable wins, CBS reports that Armstrong is planning to return a considerable portion of the millions of taxpayer money that the U.S. Postal Service, his cycling team, had received.
Moreover, the government of South Australia is seeking a re-payment of several appearance fees paid to him for the Tour Down Under cycle race from 2009 to 2011. Premier Jay Weatherill said in an AP report that the South Australian state would seek a return of all the fees amounting to several million dollars from Armstrong for representing the state in those cycling events, which was a form of deception because he kept on denying he used performance-enhancing drugs.
And after the years of denying and battling doping allegations, Armstrong is facing potential legal problems. According to CBS, a long list of lawsuits is after Armstrong, including Sunday Times and SCA Promotions.
Watch the whole of Armstrong's interview with Oprah on Thursday Australian time and on Friday in the U.S. EST.