WASHINGTON (AFP) - Disgraced United States cyclist Lance Armstrong, who is banned for life from most competitive sports for doping, will compete in a regional swimming championship, a Texas newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Masters South Central Zone Swimming Championship is not under the umbrella of the US anti-doping agency, which stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France victories and banned him for life from its events, the Austin-American Statesman newspaper reported.

Armstrong, 41 will swim over the weekend in Austin, the Texas state capital, and compete against swimmers his own age.