Armstrong's lawyers want apology from '60 Minutes' (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for Lance Armstrong have demanded an on-air apology from "60 Minutes" after the head of Switzerland's anti-doping laboratory denied allegations the seven-time Tour de France winner tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

In a letter sent Wednesday to CBS News Chairman and "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager, lawyer Elliot Peters said the May 22 segment about Armstrong was built on a series of falsehoods, and he accused the reputable CBS show of sloppy journalism.

"In the cold light of morning your story was either extraordinarily shoddy, to the point of being reckless and unprofessional, or a vicious hit-and-run job," Peters wrote. "In either case, a categorical on-air apology is required."

CBS News spokesman Kevin Tedesco said Wednesday he couldn't immediately comment on the letter, but added: "We consider this the most thorough investigation into doping in the sport of cycling ever done."

Former teammate Tyler Hamilton alleged in the piece that Armstrong talked about using the banned blood-booster EPO to prepare for his third Tour de France in 2001 and cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union, helped him hide a positive test at the Swiss event.

Last week, the head of Switzerland's anti-doping laboratory, Martial Saugy, denied allegations Armstrong tested positive for performing-enhancing drugs during the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

Saugy said his lab did find suspicious levels of EPO in four urine samples from the race Armstrong won, but he didn't know if any belonged to the seven-time Tour de France winner.

Armstrong repeatedly has denied doping and has never tested positive. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are investigating an alleged doping program in Armstrong's teams.

"60 Minutes" also reported that the UCI officials brokered a meeting involving Armstrong and Saugy's World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab, which tested the Swiss race samples.

Saugy told the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung last week that he met with Armstrong and then-U.S. Postal team manager Johan Bruyneel, but not in Lausanne as Hamilton claimed and unconnected to a suspicious test result.

Peters added the show's producers were alerted by Armstrong's camp prior to the show's airing that the Swiss-related allegations were false and provided evidence they say refuted them.

"What is particularly disturbing is that '60 Minutes' had access to the true facts, could easily have verified them, and apparently chose instead to broadcast untruths and then layer innuendo on top of the falsehoods," Peters said.

Armstrong has taken several steps to address the allegations made in the "60 Minutes" segment, posting a retort on Twitter, creating a web site — facts4lance.com — and now urging CBS for an apology. Last week, he also announced he was adding Peters and another high-profile attorney, John Keker, to his legal team.

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Armstrong's lawyers want apology from '60 Minutes' (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for Lance Armstrong have demanded an on-air apology from "60 Minutes" after the head of Switzerland's anti-doping laboratory denied allegations the seven-time Tour de France winner tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

In a letter sent Wednesday to CBS News Chairman and "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager, lawyer Elliot Peters said the May 22 segment about Armstrong was built on a series of falsehoods, and he accused the reputable CBS show of sloppy journalism.

"In the cold light of morning your story was either extraordinarily shoddy, to the point of being reckless and unprofessional, or a vicious hit-and-run job," Peters wrote. "In either case, a categorical on-air apology is required."

CBS News spokesman Kevin Tedesco said Wednesday he couldn't immediately comment on the letter, but said: "We consider this the most thorough investigation into doping in the sport of cycling ever done."

Former teammate Tyler Hamilton alleged in the piece that Armstrong talked about using the banned blood-booster EPO to prepare for his third Tour de France in 2001 and cycling's governing body, the International Cycling Union, helped him hide a positive test at the Swiss event.

Last week, the head of Switzerland's anti-doping laboratory, Martial Saugy, denied allegations Armstrong tested positive for performing-enhancing drugs during the 2001 Tour de Suisse.

Saugy said his lab did find suspicious levels of EPO in four urine samples from the race Armstrong won, but he didn't know if any belonged to the seven-time Tour de France winner.

Armstrong has repeatedly denied doping and has never tested positive. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are investigating an alleged doping program in Armstrong's teams.

"60 Minutes" also reported ICU officials brokered a meeting involving Armstrong and Saugy's World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab, which tested the Swiss race samples.

Saugy told the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung last week that he met with Armstrong and then-U.S. Postal team manager Johan Bruyneel, but not in Lausanne as Hamilton claimed and unconnected to a suspicious test result.

Peters added the show's producers were alerted by Armstrong's camp prior to the show's airing that the Swiss-related allegations were false and provided evidence to refute them.

"What is particularly disturbing is that `60 Minutes' had access to the true facts, could easily have verified them, and apparently chose instead to broadcast untruths and then layer innuendo on top of the falsehoods," Peters said.

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Minute's silence held in honor of Ballesteros (Reuters)

TERRASSA, Spain (Reuters) – Tears streamed down Jose Maria Olazabal's face as he stood in silence in memory of his great friend Seve Ballesteros, who died on Saturday aged 54.

Behind Olazabal, flags at the El Prat course where the Spanish Open was being played flew at half-mast in tribute to a sporting icon.

After the minute's silence for the game's most charismatic figure, Olazabal sought solace from Miguel Angel Jimenez as he buried his head in his fellow-Spaniard's shoulder.

The klaxon had sounded at 1445 local time, just over 12 hours after Ballesteros had passed away at his home in Pedrena, northern Spain, as a result of the brain cancer he had fought so hard to overcome.

On the course, players still involved in the third round of the Spanish Open -- the last title Ballesteros won on the European Tour -- halted play and stood with bowed heads.

Nearly everyone wore black ribbons to signify Ballesteros's passing.

Olazabal, the man with most reason to mourn as Ballesteros's triumphant Ryder Cup partner, had faced a conflict with his own feelings.

He wanted to pull out of the tournament in respect of Ballesteros but also felt he had to play, just as his great friend would have wanted.

"Olly's first shot of the day was very emotional," playing partner Colin Montgomerie said. "He did well to play at all. They were like brothers."

Olazabal knew Ballesteros for more than a quarter of a century.

"My first memory of Seve goes back to '83 or '84," he recalled on Saturday. "I was an amateur, and he called me to play in a charity event. It was a big surprise and I was very excited.

"What impressed me most in Seve was his strength, his fighting spirit and the passion he put into everything he did.

"I saw him for the last time the Saturday after the Masters. He was not well but his head was clear. We talked about many things, so many common memories, and particularly about the Ryder Cup.

"The best tribute we can pay to Seve is to go on playing for him, although no tribute will ever do justice to everything he did for golf and to everything he gave us."

(Editing by Kevin Fylan and Pritha Sarkar)

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