• by Wayne Friedman , January 9, 2013

Oprah Winfrey Network has scored a major sports interview coup with malign Tour de France cycling champion and celebrated cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

A special 90-minute program will air on "Oprah's Next Chapter" on Thursday, January 17, in what an OWN press release says is a "no holds barred interview" with Oprah Winfrey. The interview, simultaneously streamed live worldwide on Oprah.com, will be conducted in his Austin, Tx  home. 

An extensive U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report last year revealed Armstrong and his U.S. Postal cycling team had engaged in years of systematic doping. Armstrong, a cancer survivor, has long claimed he never used drugs to aid his successful cycling career. 

Armstrong was then stripped of seven Tour de France titles -- and all other cycling results -- dating back to August 1998. He was subsequently dropped by many sponsors and endorsements, costing him millions. The USADA also issued a lifetime ban on Armstrong preventing him from competing in sports professionally.

A report in the New York Times said Armstrong has been mulling the possibility of admitting to drug use.