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Lance Armstrong Agrees to Oprah Interview — Does This Mean He Will Admit Doping?

Jan 9, 2013  •  Post A Comment

An interview with Lance Armstrong by Oprah Winfrey will be broadcast Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, on a special editon of "Oprah’s Next Chapter" on OWN, the network says.

Interestingly, TVWeek Open Mic blogger Chuck Ross, in a blog entry published Oct. 11, 2012, suggested that Armstrong confess the truth in a Winfrey interview. Thus far Armstrong has vehemently denied that he’s ever doped.

However, a New York Times article published on Jan. 4, 2013, and written by Juliet Macur, says that Armstrong, "who this fall was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping and barred for life from competing in all Olympic sports, has told associates and antidoping officials that he is considering publicly admitting that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions during his cycling career, according to several people with direct knowledge of the situation. He would do this, the people said, because he wants to persuade antidoping officials to restore his eligibility so he can resume his athletic career."

According to the OWN announcement, "Oprah Winfrey will speak exclusively with Lance Armstrong in his first no-holds-barred interview. Armstrong will address the alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating, and charges of lying about the use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his storied cycling career.

"The special 90-minute Thursday night episode of ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ will air Thursday, January 17 (9:00 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT) on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In addition — the interview will be simultaneously streamed LIVE worldwide on Oprah.com.

"In the interview, Winfrey speaks with Armstrong at his home in Austin, Texas, in the only interview since the seven-time Tour de France winner was stripped of his titles and dropped from millions of dollars in endorsement deals after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released an extensive report accusing the renown cyclist of doping throughout his career. Armstrong was given a lifetime ban on competing professionally. Late last year, Armstrong resigned as chairman of the foundation he created, Livestrong, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer."

Oddly, a press spokesperson for OWN declined to say whether the Armstrong interview has already been taped, or when it will be taped.

One Comment

  1. This will only be news if he:
    — admits to all the charges, and
    — is promptly arrested by Texas Rangers after completing the interview, which likely explains why it’s taped and not live or “plausibly live.”

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