WASHINGTON: Livestrong, the cancer charity founded by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, said on Thursday it was "disappointed" that he had deceived the organization and many others about doping.
"We at the Livestrong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us," it said after the broadcast of Armstrong's interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Armstrong, 41, used the interview to come clean for the first time about his use of performance enhancing drugs to win seven consecutive Tour de France races, after more than a decade of strident denials.
Prior to recording the interview on Monday in his hometown of Austin, Texas, Armstrong personally went to Livestrong headquarters to apologize to its staff -- and in the interview, he wore its iconic yellow fund-raising wristband.
"We accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course," the foundation said in its statement, received 40 minutes after the conclusion of part one of the broadcast, which will continue on Friday.
"Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a (cancer) survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community," it said.
"Lance is no longer on the foundation's board, but he is our founder and we will always be grateful to him for creating and helping to build a foundation that has served millions struggling with cancer."
It added: "Our success has never been based on one person. It's based on the patients and survivors we serve every day who approach a cancer diagnosis with hope, courage and perseverance."
Armstrong founded Livestrong in 1997 after he underwent chemotherapy to overcome testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and other parts of his body.
He stepped down first as its chairman, then from its board of directors last year as the US Anti-Doping Agency, in a damning 1,000-page report, put him at the center of the biggest doping conspiracy in the annals of cycling.
Livestrong says it has served more than 2.5 million people affected by cancer and raised more than US$500 million since its founding to support cancer survivors. It does not contribute directly to cancer research.
- AFP/xq
Cycling: Livestrong "disappointed" by Armstrong's deception
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Cycling: Livestrong "disappointed" by Armstrong's deception
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