9 Jan 2013

Lance Armstrong to break silence in Oprah interview

8:02 pm on 9 January 2013

Lance Armstrong will break his silence about his lifetime ban from cycling and the doping charges made against him in a televised interview with Oprah Winfrey next week.

The interview, will be the first the American cyclist has conducted since receiving his ban and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

In an interview yet to be aired, the head of the American anti-doping agency, Travis Tygart, says Armstrong once offered to donate $US250,000 to anti-doping efforts.

Tygart says it was a clear conflict of interest for the agency and they had no hesitation in rejecting the offer.

Reuters reports that Tygart also alleges Armstrong gave the International Cycling Union (UCI) a gift of $US100,000.

The New York Times recently reported Armstrong was considering an admission of using banned drugs.

The New York Times said Armstrong hoped to persuade anti-doping officials to allow him to resume competition in athletic events that adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code, under which the Texan is currently subject to a lifetime ban.

However, Armstrong's lawyer Tim Herman was later reported as saying there had been no talks with anti-doping bodies about any admission.

Armstrong has always denied charges of doping and has never been proven to have tested positive.