Lance Armstrong must face US doping lawsuit, judge rules

A picture taken on Feb 28, 2011 shows US cyclist Lance Armstrong attending a press conference in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: AFP
A picture taken on Feb 28, 2011 shows US cyclist Lance Armstrong attending a press conference in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A US judge on Thursday rejected Lance Armstrong's bid to dismiss a federal whistleblower lawsuit claiming that he and his former cycling team, which had been sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, had defrauded the government through a scheme to use banned, performance-enhancing drugs.

US District Judge Robert Wilkins said the complaints brought by the government and Armstrong's former teammate Floyd Landis were "rife with allegations" that Armstrong had knowledge of doping and made false statements to conceal it.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven victories at the Tour de France and banned for life in 2012 after the US Anti-Doping Agency issued a report accusing him of engineering one of the most sophisticated doping schemes in sports.

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