Armstrong Admits Doping in Oprah Interview

The first part of a 2 1/2-hour exclusive interview between disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong – who was stripped of his 2000 Olympics bronze medal on Thursday – and Oprah Winfrey aired Thursday night on Oprah’s cable channel, OWN.

FOX News Radio’s Courtney Kealy has details:

Lance Armstrong admitting that he used blood transfusions, testosterone and the blood booster EPO to become a world championship cyclist.

Several former sponsors releasing reaction statements like, Nike, saying, “We remain saddened after being misled for a decade.”

Some fans say that it’s too little too late. Others, like Virginia Allee say it’s good to see him fess up.

(Allee) “I don’t condone what he did, but, and it’s a little late in the confessing.”

But the head of the U.S. Anti Doping Agency says Armstrong finally acknowledged doping and deceit, which is a small step in the right direction, but if he is sincere he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities.

Courtney Kealy, FOX News Radio.

Editor’s Note: The second part of the interview with Lance Armstrong airs Friday evening on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

READ a statement from The LIVESTRONG Foundation in response to Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey:

“We at the LIVESTRONG Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us. Earlier this week, Lance apologized to our staff and we accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course. We look forward to devoting our full energy to our mission of helping people not only fight and survive cancer, but also thrive in life after cancer.

Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community. Lance is no longer on the Foundation’s board, but he is our founder and we will always be grateful to him for creating and helping to build a Foundation that has served millions struggling with cancer.

The LIVESTRONG Foundation is one of the most highly-rated and effective cancer organizations in the United States. Our success has never been based on one person – it’s based on the patients and survivors we serve every day, who approach a cancer diagnosis with hope, courage and perseverance. We listened to their needs and took action to create free cancer support services that offer access to clinical trials, fertility preservation, insurance coverage and even transportation to treatment. People living with and through cancer are the inspiration behind our work. They have been, are and always will be our focus.”