According to an article in The Telegraph, Brian Cookson, who is vying for the job as UCI president, might mitigate the lifetime ban imposed on Lance Armstrong if he helps in the drug fight. He would like to hear from Lance the extent of the doping culture.
The UCI office of president should be decided next week.
Cookson acknowledged that other drug users in sports have been “treated more generously” than Lance and that it has not be a level playing field in that respect.
He did not seem interest in allowing Armstrong to compete in elite cycling, but that’s probably a moot point, since he’s already too old for that.
Some suspect Cookson’s motive is to get Armstrong to expose Cookson’s UCi rival, McQuaid. Mc Quaid has already supported the truth and reconciliation commission. Cookson thinks reduced penalties will help get athletes to testify. It wouldn’t be up to him anyway; WADA deals with that part. But he thinks there needs to be some incentive for athletes to want to come clean.
