By Saturday, sources had confirmed what most believed: on Jan. 17, when Oprah Winfrey interviews cyclist Lance Armstrong on her primetime series, "Oprah's Next Chapter," he will confess that he doped in the past.
The episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter" will be taped on Monday at Armstong's home in Austin, Texas; it will be broadcast the following day.
It will be Armstrong's first such interview since U.S. and global officials stripped him of his world cycling titles in response to doping allegations and investigations. Those investigations included a 200-page USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) report released on Oct. 10 which was said to be an extensive, wide-ranging investigation into the matter.
Despite the release of that report, as well as past numerous allegations put forth by former teammates and others, Lance Armstrong has long denied that had ever doped. He has been accused of using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and other procedures, including the boosting of the red blood cell count in a user's bloodstream, commonly called blood doping.
Rumors that Armstrong was mulling over such a confession arose last weekend. His lawyer, Tim Herman, denied the claims of an impending confession last Saturday, saying he had no knowledge that Armstrong was thinking along those lines.
In addition to being broadcast on OWN, the interview will also be streamed -- simultaneously -- on Oprah.com.
It's believed that Armstrong has decided to come clean in hopes he could eventually participate in non-cycling sports, such as triathlons. In addition, though, it's been rumored that he has been under pressure by backers of his Livestrong Foundation.
Armstrong has already cut formal ties with the Foundation, which is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support for people affected by cancer. Armstrong founded it after his own battle with testicular cancer, but many believe that -- after official reports and lifetime bans from cycling -- its reputation continues to be damaged, and that a confession would ease that problem.
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