Live Strong Foundation ‘Disappointed’ That Lance Armstrong ‘Misled People’

The Live Strong Foundation — formerly known as the Lance Armstrong Foundation — said Thursday night that it is “disappointed” in Lance Armstrong on the heels of his admission to Oprah Winfrey that he used banned substances during his cycling career.

In the interview that aired on OWN, the retired cyclist told Winfrey that he used banned substances — EPO, testosterone and human growth hormone — as well as blood doping or blood transfusion to enhance his performance. The admission came after years of denials.

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Armstrong also admitted that he used those methods in all seven of his Tour de France victories. Asked if he thought it was “humanly possible” to win seven times without doping, Armstrong replied: “Not in my opinion.”

After the interview aired, the foundation — a nonprofit organization that Armstrong founded in 1997 to provide support for people affected by cancer — issued a statement.

“We at the Live Strong Foundation are disappointed by the news that Lance Armstrong misled people during and after his cycling career, including us,” the organization said. “Earlier this week, Lance apologized to our staff and we accepted his apology in order to move on and chart a strong, independent course. We look forward to devoting our full energy to our mission of helping people not only fight and survive cancer, but also thrive in life after cancer.”

The group went on to thank Armstrong for his work on behalf of the organization from which he resigned as chairman in October. He remained on the board of directors until November, when the foundation changed its name.

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“Even in the wake of our disappointment, we also express our gratitude to Lance as a survivor for the drive, devotion and spirit he brought to serving cancer patients and the entire cancer community,” the statement continued. “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.”

Part two of Winfrey’s interview with Armstrong airs at 9 p.m. Friday.