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                   Lance Armstrong Stripped of Olympic Bronze

   by VOA News

   Disgraced U.S. cycling star Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his
   only Olympic medal.
   Officials with the International Olympic Committee sent Armstrong a
   letter late Wednesday asking him to the return the bronze medal he won
   in the road time trial during the 2000 Sydney games.
   The move comes as American television personality Oprah Winfrey
   prepares to broadcast an interview, with what has been described as an
   emotional Armstrong, in which he admits to using performance-enhancing
   drugs.
   The interview will air late Thursday in the United States on OWN,
   Winfrey's cable television network.
   Last August, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France
   victories - over a record seven consecutive years - when the U.S.
   Anti-Doping Agency announced it had proof of his involvement in a
   complex illegal doping program.
   The 41-year-old cancer survivor had long denied using
   performance-enhancing drugs, despite years of persistent rumors.
   Winfrey says Armstrong did not  "come clean" in the way she had
   expected, but that she was "satisfied" by his answers.  The interview
   is to be broadcast on Thursday and Friday
   On Monday, Armstrong apologized for the scandal in an emotional visit
   to the staff of his cancer charity Livestrong.  Witnesses say Armstrong
   fought back tears as he spoke, but that he did not discuss specifics of
   the allegations against him.
   Also this week, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told
   Reuters news agency Armstrong's confession could jeopardize cycling in
   future Olympic games. Pound said action could be taken if it can be
   proven that the International Cycling Union acted improperly in the
   Armstrong case.
   The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, has said the
   UCI, cycling's governing body, wrongfully accepted a $100,000 gift from
   Armstrong.  Pound, a Canadian, suggested that could be seen as a
   coverup of Armstrong's illegal drug use.
   ''
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/lance-armstrong-stripped-of-olympic-bronze/1585788.html