Report: Armstrong to come clean for Oprah

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Lance Armstrong will confess to doping when he teams up with television talk queen Oprah Winfrey for a televised interview next week, a source told USA Today.

Armstrong has been reported working on a plan to admit publicly he used performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusion to help power him to seven Tour de France championships, and has decided to come clean next week on the Oprah Winfrey Network, the newspaper said Saturday..

Citing a source close to the situation, USA Today said the interview -- to be taped Monday and televised Thursday -- will probably not go into much detail. Earlier announcements about the show promised only a no-holds barred discussion between Armstrong and Oprah.

Armstrong's battle against doping allegations appeared lost in October when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released its findings. Since then, Armstrong has stepped down from his cancer charity and lost a number of corporate sponsorships.

The confession could pave the way for a reduction of Armstrong's lifetime ban from all Olympic sports but USA Today said it also carries the risk of civil lawsuits from former sponsors -- and even criminal action for testifying under oath he was not involved in doping -- although that was considered unlikely due to the amount of time that that has passed.