adminMonday.
A confession would mark a stunning reversal after Armstrong spent years strenuously denying doping allegations, sticking to his story even after being publicly shamed and stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year. Any admission of guilt could also have legal or financial ramifications, particularly among big-name corporate sponsors such as Nike that had loyally stood by him even as the allegations grew.
It was Armstrong’s first interview since he was stripped in October of his Tour de France titles after the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said he helped orchestrate the most sophisticated doping programme in sports history.
Winfrey was set to appear on CBS television’s “This Morning” programme yesterday to promote the interview. She did not reveal details of the interview ahead of its Thursday night air date on her OWN cable network and its website, but took to Twitter to say Monday’s exchange had lasted more than two and a half hours.
“He came READY!” she tweeted.
The announcement that Armstrong had agreed to an interview had sparked widespread speculation that he might finally confess to being a drug cheat after years of adamant denials.
Reporters, photographers and TV crews took up positions earlier across the street from Armstrong’s opulent Austin home, where the interview took place and which is surrounded by an eight-foot (2,4-metre) stone wall.
USA Today, which cited an unnamed person familiar with the interview as saying Armstrong had admitted to doping, had earlier indicated that the cyclist did not plan to go into great detail about specific cases and events.
Armstrong’s spokesman Mark Fabiani declined to address the reports, saying: “We have an arrangement with Oprah’s team not to comment until the show is broadcast and we are honouring that.” — AFP.
Online Reporter
dyton mupawaenda