Dope-tainted Armstrong set to break his silence on Oprah Winfrey show

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 television presenter announced on Tuesday.

The interview, to be broadcast on the Oprah Winfrey Network on Jan 17, will be the first the American cyclist has conducted since receiving his ban and being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.

“Armstrong will address the alleged doping scandal, years of accusations of cheating, and charges of lying about the use of performance-enhancing drugs throughout his storied cycling career,” the network said in a statement.

On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Armstrong, 41, had told associates and anti-doping officials he was considering an admission of using banned drugs.

The 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 later told USA Today that there had been no talks with anti-doping bodies about any admission.

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

An Oct 10 report from the US anti-doping body USADA cited Armstrong's involvement in what it characterised as the "most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping program that sport has ever seen," involving anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, blood transfusions and other doping.

Donation offer

Meanwhile, USADA said Armstrong once offered to donate nearly $250,000 to anti-doping efforts.

Armstrong made the offer through a representative in 2004, USADA chief Travis Tygart told a television interview.

Tygart also alleged Armstrong provided the International Cycling Union (UCI), a regulatory body for the sport, a gift of $100,000.