Lance Armstrong admits doping to Oprah

Lance Armstrong is being forced to give up a medal that he won in the 2000 Olympics. The bronze medal has been acquired by the U.S. Olympic Committee and it will be returned to the International Olympic Committee, according to USOC Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer Patrick Sandusky. Armstrong won the medal for cycling in 2000 during the Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

The IOC has stripped him of the medal and has asked for it to be returned to its headquarters in Switzerland. Armstrong has already been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, following his admission to taking steroids. He has also been sued for $12 million by SCA Promotions, who sponsored Armstrong during his 2002 and 2003 Tour de France wins, because of the forfeit of his titles.

Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency simply don’t see eye-to-eye. Armstrong once again decided against cooperating with the USADA, refusing to submit a full debriefing to the agency on how he was able to cheat the sport for so long.

According to USA Today, Armstrong still has “several issues” with the USADA, and will consequently not cooperate with the doping agency’s wishes.

Lance Armstrong is being sued in a Dallas court by an insurance company in an attempt to recoup $12 million in bonuses they paid the cyclist for winning the 2002 and 2003 Tour de France titles, per Juliet Macur of the New York Times.

SCA Promotions alleges that the bonuses no longer apply, because Armstrong has been stripped of the titles they were awarded for. The suit goes on to claim that Armstrong committed fraud when he lied under oath that he never used performance enhancing drugs, only to admit to them later. Lawyers for Armstrong are countering that the agreement was binding, and included a clause that the bonuses could not be later challenged.

While Lance Armstrong came clean during his tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on Thursday night, investigators familiar with his case told ABC News that the cyclist lied about when he stopped using performance-enhancing drugs.

During the interview, Armstrong claimed that he stopped using the performance-enhancers and blood transfusions in 2005 and did not use them in 2009:

Lance Armstrong was once one of Nike’s poster boys, but now the shoe and apparel giant wants nothing to do with him. Months after ending their relationship with Armstrong, and in the wake of Armstrong’s admission to Oprah that he took performance enhancing drugs, Nike has further separated themselves from the former seven-time Tour de France winner.

On Thursday, the day that Armstrong’s admission aired on television, Nike released this statement:

In the wake of the highly publicized two-night interview of Lance Armstrong by Oprah Winfrey both Thursday and Friday nights of this week, the United States Anti-Doping Agency has come out with a response to Armstrong’s insistence that he is sorry and other like-minded comments in the interview. Specifically, the organization believes that if the world-famous cyclist is truly repentant, then he can back up his words with some specific actions.

In a prepared statement, USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart said:

Former Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong revealed his extensive history of performance enhancing drug use in an interview with Oprah, and he explored some of the previously unknown details of his career drug use.

Here is a collection of some quotes from that interview.

Lance Armstrong viewed his use of performance enhancing drugs as a leveling of the playing field, he said during his tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“I never felt like I was cheating,” Armstrong said.

Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on Thursday night, and the former Tour de France champion did admit to using performance enhancing substances while he was racing. When he was asked by Oprah whether he used performance enhancing substances, Armstrong responded:

During the interview, Armstrong admitted to using EPO, as well as blood transfusions and testosterone.

Lance Armstrong’s trophy case continues to clear out, as the International Olympic Committee told the cyclist Wednesday night to return the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia.

Armstrong’s confession to performance-enhancing drug use, after years and years of vehement denials to repeated allegations and rumors, will air in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday, though it is reported that the IOC had made their decision outside of that fact.

Lance Armstrong’s confession is the biggest thing to happen to the Oprah Network since ... ever?

As a result, they’re cutting it into two separate nights of programming, to be aired as a two-part special on OWN. The first episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter will air Thursday night, from 9-10:30 p.m. ET, with the conclusion set for Friday at 9 p.m.

Rather than wait for columnists to bait readers into blind Internet anger, we at SB Nation believe in setting the curve ourselves and doing so honestly. On Troll Tuesdays, we attempt to construct the most obnoxious column on earth. Today: Let’s talk about Lance Armstrong.

This land is your land.

This land is my land.

Lance Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey won’t air until Thursday night, but many of the key details about it emerged Monday night shortly after it was conducted. It was reported that Armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in the interview, and now Oprah is providing more details on their discussion.

Winfrey appeared on CBS “This Morning” to talk about the encounter with Armstrong, and she said the admission came in a form that was “surprising” to her, stating, “He did not come clean in the manner that I expected.” Oprah added (via NBCSports):

Lance Armstrong finally admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, according to a source who spoke anonymously to the Associated Press. Armstrong made the confession to Oprah Winfrey on Monday, during a taping of her show, which will air Thursday on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles in Oct. 2012, and was subsequently banned from competition by the International Cycling Union.

Lance Armstrong met with the staff of the Livestrong Foundation on Monday and issued an emotional apology.

According to a report from the Associated Press, Armstrong told members of Livestrong that he was sorry for letting the foundation down and putting them at risk, but stopped short of admitting to doping or using banned substances. The AP added that Armstrong choked up during the address, while several in the crowd cried.

Lance Armstrong’s results from the New York City and Boston marathons will likely be removed from the records, according to a report from Scott Douglas of Runner’s World.

This comes after the International Cycling Union’s decision to strip Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and ban the American from the sport of cycling for life. The ICU said that its decision came from the World Anti-Doping Agency and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s 202-page report that showed Armstrong was part of a sophisticated doping ring during his seven Tour de France titles.