Lance Armstrong television confession still not enough
Lance Armstrong is facing fresh claims that he lied about his drug-taking in his interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Viewers were disappointed when Armstrong failed to confess the full extent of his cheating to Winfrey, but that he also lied when he stated he never used enhancement drugs when he raced in 2009.
The most damaging punishment Armstrong could face would be prosecution for perjury over signing American federal authorities statements stating he was not using drugs. However, Travis Tygart, who leads the American Anti-Doping Agency (AADA), said that it could be possible for Armstrong to compete in the sport again by reducing his lifetime ban. The request, which ends on February 6th, requires Armstrong to confess fully to his drug use and state those who helped him cheat and how.
Mr Tygart said: “His blood tests in 2009, 2010 – expert reports based on the variation of his blood values – from those tests, one to a million chance that it was due to something other than doping”. However, Armstrong remained adamant that he was drug-free during his comeback.
Dr. Ashenden, an expert on blood doping and biological passports, was asked by the BBC if Armstrong was still lying about his drug misuse, to which he replied “yes”.
British cycling star Bradley Wiggins has also shared his feelings with the BBC saying he is “sad and angry at Armstrong.”
“I was very close to him in that Tour – in a physical sense, on the bike, watching his body language each day on the climbs – and I remember a broken man at the top of Verbier, when he couldn’t respond to the attacks, and a week later, on Ventoux, he was a different bike rider,” he added.
If Armstrong does not make a full confession by 6th February criminal action could follow.
Eleanor Mackay
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