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Lance Armstrong Stripped of Olympic Bronze Medal From 2000 Sydney Games

Before Lance Armstrong admits to doping in a taped interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday, the International Olympic Committee has announced it has stripped Armstrong of his bronze medal.

The IOC has sent a letter to Armstrong, asking him to return the bronze medal he won in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, according to The Associated Press. Armstrong’s interview, in which he confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs, did not factor into the IOC’s decision to revoke him of his medal.

The IOC executive board elected to wait for the deadline to run out on Armstrong’s appeal after being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles. After the 21-day deadline passed, the committee decided to strip Armstrong of his bronze medal he won in 2000, two months following his second Tour de France victory.

“Having had confirmation from UCI [International Cycling Union] that Armstrong has not appealed the decision to disqualify him from Sydney, we have written to him to ask for the return of the bronze medal,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “We have also written to USOC [U.S. Olympic Committee] to inform them of the decision.”

The IOC has decided to leave the bronze medal from the 2000 games vacant.

The IOC began a disciplinary case in November, following a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which stated that doping by Armstrong and his teammates was “the most sophisticated doping program in sports.”

Armstrong’s interview will air on Winfrey’s OWN network on Thursday and Friday.