LONDON — An independent panel preparing to investigate the International Cycling Union's links to Lance Armstrong fought back Wednesday against the governing body's resistance to offer amnesty to potential witnesses. The three-member panel said it will soon hold a public hearing in London to examine if “truth and reconciliation” should be offered to riders and officials who testify in April. Full or partial amnesties were “desirable” and would help ensure that “the most complete evidence is available” at the scheduled three-week hearing in London, the panel said. The US Anti-Doping Agency submitted a truth and reconciliation proposal after the release of its report last October into doping by Armstrong and his teams. Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from Olympic sports for life. The UCI refused to back USADA's proposal, which would free past and current riders to explain how far doping extended. “The UCI indicated to the Commission (last week) that that proposal was unacceptable to it as part of this Inquiry,” the panel. — AP
