Commission calls for witnesses in Armstrong probe

Lance Armstrong during the fifth stage of the 91st Tour de France An independent commission set up to probe the International Cycling Union\'s (UCI) handling of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal on Tuesday called for witnesses to get in touch. The panel, headed by former England and Wales appeals court judge Philip Otton, will look into the allegations contained in the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) decision to charge Armstrong over the affair.
The commission also includes Britain\'s multiple Paralympic champion Tanni Grey-Thompson, who sits in the House of Lords, and Australian lawyer Malcolm Holmes.
\"Anyone with evidence which they believe to be relevant to the Terms of Reference should submit documents and/or a written summary of evidence they will be able to give to the Commission\" the UCI Independent Commission said in a statement.
\"The Commission has written to some potential witnesses identified by it and is in the process of contacting others, but invites witnesses to contact the Commission direct.\"
Witnesses have been given until the end of the year to submit evidence to the commission, with current and former UCI employees expected to provide documents to the panel by the end of January.
A hearing is scheduled to be held in London from April 9 to 26 next year, and the commission is expected to submit its report to the UCI by June 1.
Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from the sport for life in October after the USADA produced evidence of widespread doping by him and his former team-mates.