CANADA: CYCLING - WADA Director General David Howman encourages Lance Armstrong to confess to proper anti-doping authorities

Record ID: 859334

  • Title: CANADA: CYCLING - WADA Director General David Howman encourages Lance Armstrong to confess to proper anti-doping authorities
  • Date: 18th January 2013
  • Summary: MONTREAL, CANADA. (JANUARY 18, 2013) (REUTERS) SIGN AT WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY
  • Embargoed: 2nd February 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Canada
  • City:
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAVNZPA65HV9E8I291UK7M71IN
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  • Story Text: The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Director General Dave Howman was quick to point out on Friday (January 18) that the Lance Armstrong confession that caused a world-wide sensation on Thursday (January 17) night did not meet the strict standards of evidence and testimony insisted upon by his organization and others.

    "This was a talk show interview, not a legal cross-examination and you have to look at it from that perspective. As a trained lawyer you can sit there saying, 'why don't you ask the next question? Why have you not followed up?' Because that's my training and those questions were not asked because that's not the style of a talk show host. I can accept that. The right place for Mr. Armstrong to come forward and be truly contritional is an appropriate authority like USADA where he makes a full and frank sworn statement covering all of the bases," he said.
    Armstrong is reported to be yearning for a return to competitive sport but he has a long way to go before seeing any lightening of sanctions.

    "Look for Mr. Armstrong to get a reduction of his lifetime ban he has to follow an appropriate legal process. He knows that process. His lawyers will have advised him of it. My door is open. My phone line is known to most people in the world, I get calls from everybody, so he's free and able to contact us," Howman said.
    Over the course of the interview, Howman observed a number in instances where interviewer Oprah Winfrey was unable to press Armstrong on specifics.

    "In the interview there was a question raised about one donation made to UCI (International Cyclists Union). In fact there were two donations and the host didn't know that so in terms of the question itself, it wasn't posed properly and therefore the answer wasn't a full answer. I think we have to wait to get that," he said.
    Armstrong ended years of vehement denial by finally coming clean and admitting he had cheated his way to a record seven Tour de France titles with systematic use of banned, performance-enhancing drugs.
    Confessing his "toxic" tale to chat show host Oprah Winfrey, the cyclist described himself as a "flawed character" while at last owning up to being at the center of one of the biggest drugs scandals in world sport.
    In one word at the beginning of the interview broadcast worldwide, cancer survivor Armstrong confirmed his place in any gallery of fallen icons who have shamed their sport, the likes of drug-cheat sprinters Ben Johnson and Marion Jones.

    "Yes," he replied when asked directly whether he had used performance-enhancing drugs.
    Winfrey rapidly fired questions at him, offering the 41-year-old little respite, grilling him about every aspect of his tainted career.
    Without hesitation, and showing no signs of emotion, Armstrong replied "yes" to questions about whether he used specific drugs, including erythropoietin, human growth hormone, and blood doping.
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