After the confession, the lawsuits. Lance Armstrong's extended appearance on the Oprah Winfrey network, in which the man stripped of seven Tour de France wins finally admitted to doping, has opened him up to several multi-million dollar legal challenges.
According to reports, the US government may join a "whistleblower" lawsuit launched by Armstrong's former colleague, Floyd Landis, on the grounds that Armstrong, while riding for the US Postal Service team, defrauded the American taxpayer. The Sunday Times is set to try to claw back nearly £1m in damages and costs that Armstrong was awarded after he sued it over allegations of doping. A Texas-based sports marketing firm is also suing Armstrong to get back millions of dollars in bonuses it paid out to the cyclist.
Meanwhile, the International Cycling Union is urging Armstrong to pay back his prize money, and even Australian government officials are reportedly mulling over going to the courts to get back hefty fees paid for appearances in the country from 2009 to 2011. Finally, and perhaps most seriously, Armstrong's confession has opened up the prospect that he might be prosecuted for perjury after previously testifying under oath that he had not taken drugs.
