You might think that Lance Armstrong’s year couldn’t get any worse. Accused not only of being a drugs cheat but of masterminding the ‘most sophisticated’ doping circle in sports’ history, stripped of his seven Tour de France titles – first by the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA), then the International Cycling Union (UCI) – asked to repay his substantial winnings and dropped by sponsors… Now it has emerged that The Sunday Times is to sue the Texan for an estimated £1m.
As early as 1999 the chief sports editor of the paper, David Walsh, had raised questions about the rider after his first TdF win and in 2004 they published an articled that called for questions regarding his alleged cheating be both ‘posed and answered’. Armstrong sued and effectively won when The Sunday Times settled for £300,000. In light of the fact that it would now appear incontrovertible that Armstrong is a cheat, the paper would rather like their money back and have launched an action to recoup the money in addition to interest and legal fees.
