体坛英语新闻：Over 1/5 people still "respect" Armstrong and more feel "sorry", poll

BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 percent people believe that disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong remains a respectable figure following his confession to doping, a poll showed on Saturday.

In a poll by Chinese portal Sina.com to solicit opinions on Armstrong's admission to doping after years of vehement denial, 21.5 percent of nearly 10,000 respondents regard the 41-year-old American as "respectable because he is willing to correct his wrong".

About 24 percent of people "feel sorry for him" while 17 percent are with "mixed feelings" toward the cancer survivor whose charity has raised almost 500 million U.S. dollars to help the cancer cause.

But the number of people who think "the doping scandal will forever stain his reputation" accounted for the highest percentage, at 37 percent.

"A fighter against cancer, a charity worker, a glorious world champion and at the same time, a big liar using banned drugs. It is all about human nature," commented a net user Red Devil under the piece of news about Armstrong's confession.

Armstrong in the interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday admitted to what the sporting world had suspected for years -- that the Texan had cheated his way to a record seven Tour de France titles.

He confessed that he started doping in the mid-1990s, using the blood booster EPO, testosterone, cortisone and human growth hormone, as well as blood transfusions. Enditem