Disgraced American cycling star Lance Armstrong has reportedly claimed that a former president of cycling's world governing body knew that he was doping and helped cover it up.
Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year before admitting he had taken performance-enhancing drugs during his career, accused Hein Verbruggen of helping him avoid a ban in 1999 by agreeing to blame a positive test on a backdated prescription for a steroid cream to treat saddle sores.
According to the BBC, Armstrong said that Verbruggen approved the idea of backdating the prescription to help protect the image of the sport, adding that cycling was on 'life support system' after the 1998 Festina drugs scandal.
However, Verbruggen, who was the president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) when Armstrong tested positive at the 1999 Tour de Franc, has denied any wrongdoing, saying that his conscience was 'absolutely clean' as he never acted inappropriately, although he admitted that he could have done 'some things' differently.
Verbruggen is still a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which responded to Armstrong's latest claims by questioning his integrity and stating that it would wait for the UC's own conclusions before acting.