Disgraced U.S. cycling star Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his only Olympic medal.
Officials with the International Olympic Committee sent Armstrong a letter late Wednesday asking him to the return the bronze medal he won in the road time trial during the 2000 Sydney games.
The move comes as American television personality Oprah Winfrey prepares to broadcast an interview, with what has been described as an emotional Armstrong, in which he admits to using performance-enhancing drugs.
The interview will air late Thursday in the United States on OWN, Winfrey's cable television network.
Last August, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories - over a record seven consecutive years - when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced it had proof of his involvement in a complex illegal doping program.
The 41-year-old cancer survivor had long denied using performance-enhancing drugs, despite years of persistent rumors.
Winfrey says Armstrong did not "come clean" [admit illegal activity] in the way she had expected, but that she was "satisfied" by his answers. The interview is to be broadcast on Thursday and Friday
On Monday, Armstrong apologized for the scandal in an emotional visit to the staff of his cancer charity Livestrong. Witnesses say Armstrong fought back tears as he spoke, but that he did not discuss specifics of the allegations against him.
Also this week, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told Reuters Armstrong's confession could jeopardize cycling in future Olympic games..
Pound said such action could be taken if it can be proven that the International Cycling Union acted improperly in the Armstrong case.
The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, has said the UCI, cycling's governing body, wrongfully accepted a $100,000 gift from Armstrong. Pound, a Canadian, suggested that could be seen as a cover-up of Armstrong's illegal drug use.
Officials with the International Olympic Committee sent Armstrong a letter late Wednesday asking him to the return the bronze medal he won in the road time trial during the 2000 Sydney games.
The move comes as American television personality Oprah Winfrey prepares to broadcast an interview, with what has been described as an emotional Armstrong, in which he admits to using performance-enhancing drugs.
The interview will air late Thursday in the United States on OWN, Winfrey's cable television network.
Last August, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories - over a record seven consecutive years - when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced it had proof of his involvement in a complex illegal doping program.
The 41-year-old cancer survivor had long denied using performance-enhancing drugs, despite years of persistent rumors.
Winfrey says Armstrong did not "come clean" [admit illegal activity] in the way she had expected, but that she was "satisfied" by his answers. The interview is to be broadcast on Thursday and Friday
On Monday, Armstrong apologized for the scandal in an emotional visit to the staff of his cancer charity Livestrong. Witnesses say Armstrong fought back tears as he spoke, but that he did not discuss specifics of the allegations against him.
Also this week, International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told Reuters Armstrong's confession could jeopardize cycling in future Olympic games..
Pound said such action could be taken if it can be proven that the International Cycling Union acted improperly in the Armstrong case.
The chief of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, has said the UCI, cycling's governing body, wrongfully accepted a $100,000 gift from Armstrong. Pound, a Canadian, suggested that could be seen as a cover-up of Armstrong's illegal drug use.