Oprah Winfrey speaks with Lance Armstrong during an interview on the controversy surrounding his cycling career on Monday, January 14, in Austin, Texas. Oprah Winfrey's exclusive no-holds-barred interview with Lance Armstrong, "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive," has expanded to air as a two-night event on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The interview airs Thursday, January 17, and Friday, January 18.
(CNN) -- Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong tweeted Thursday that he's handed over the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Summer Games, adding that it should be at International Olympic Committee headquarters in Switzerland "asap."
Earlier this year, the committee stripped Armstrong of the medal he won in Sydney and asked him to return it.
Armstrong -- after years of heated denials -- in January admitted to doping throughout his storied career, which included seven Tour de France wins.
An image of the 2000 Bronze medal
An image of the 2000 Bronze medalArmstrong's tweet Thursday included a photo of the medal and said "the 2000 bronze is back in possession" of U.S. Olympic officials.
Mark Higgins, a key member of Armstrong's camp, did not elaborate on how or why the medal was turned over, beyond saying it was given to the U.S. Olympic Committee.
A spokesman for that committee, Patrick Sandusky, confirmed that it has the bronze medal it asked for and added, "The USOC has made arrangements to return the medal to the IOC."
The Texas-born Armstrong was a rising star when he was diagnosed in 1996 with testicular cancer at the age of 25.
After getting treatment, he returned better than ever -- reeling off his consecutive string of Tour de France victories between 1999 and 2005. Armstrong left the sport after his last win, only to come back four years later and place third in cycling's most prestigious race.
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His historic rise came at a time when cycling, generally, was mired in repeated doping scandals. Armstrong himself was not immune to such accusations, but each time he fired back at his critics and vehemently insisted he'd been clean.
Yet the tide began to turn against Armstrong in June 2012, when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it had opened proceedings against him and five of his former teammates.
The agency, which is designated by Congress as the country's official anti-doping organization for Olympic sports, announced two months later that it was stripping Armstrong of his Tour de France titles and barring him from future competitions for life.
Armstrong remained defiant until sitting down with Oprah Winfrey last January. Calling himself "deeply flawed," Armstrong admitted that he'd used an array of performance enhancing drugs and took blood transfusions to excel in the highly competitive, scandal-ridden world of professional cycling.
Armstrong admits using performance enhancing drugs
"This is too late, it's too late for probably most people. And that's my fault," he said. "(This was) one big lie, that I repeated a lot of times."
The IOC asked for Armstrong's Olympic medal back the same day the first part of the Winfrey interview aired.
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CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
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Cyclist Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins and banned from the tournament for life, the International Cycling Union announced Monday, October 22. Pictured, Armstrong addresses participants at The Livestrong Challenge Ride on Sunday. He stepped down as chairman of his Livestrong cancer charity on Wednesday, October 17.
Armstrong leads his teammates during the final stage of the 1999 Tour de France.
Armstrong, 17, competes in the Jeep Triathlon Grand Prix in 1988. He became a professional triathlete at age 16 and joined the U.S. National Cycling Team two years later.
In 1995, Armstrong wins the 18th stage of the Tour de France. He finished 36th overall and finished the race for the first time that year.
Armstrong rides for charity in May 1998 at the Ikon Ride for the Roses to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. He established the foundation to benefit cancer research after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. After treatment, he was declared cancer-free in February 1997.
Armstrong takes his honor lap on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after winning the Tour de France for the first time in 1999.
After winning the 2000 Tour de France, Armstrong holds his son Luke on his shoulders.
Armstrong rides during the 18th stage of the 2001 Tour de France. He won the tour that year for the third consecutive time.
Armstrong celebrates winning the 10th stage of the Tour de France in 2001.
After winning the 2001 Tour de France, Armstrong presents President George W. Bush with a U.S. Postal Service yellow jersey and a replica of the bike he used to win the race.
Armstrong celebrates on the podium after winning the Tour de France by 61 seconds in 2003. It was his fifth consecutive win.
Jay Leno interviews Armstrong on "The Tonight Show" in 2003.
After his six consecutive Tour de France win in 2004, Armstrong attends a celebration in his honor in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
Armstrong arrives at the 2005 American Music Awards in Los Angeles with his then-fiancee Sheryl Crow. The couple never made it down the aisle, splitting up the following year.
Armstrong holds up a paper displaying the number seven at the start of the Tour de France in 2005. He went on to win his seventh consecutive victory.
As a cancer survivor, Armstrong testifies during a Senate hearing in 2008 on Capitol Hill. The hearing focused on finding a cure for cancer in the 21st century.
In 2009, Armstrong suffers a broken collarbone after falling during a race in Spain along with more than a dozen other riders.
Young Armstrong fans write messages on the ground using yellow chalk ahead of the 2009 Tour de France. He came in third place that year.
Armstrong launches the three-day Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in 2009 in Dublin, Ireland. The event was organized by his foundation.
In May 2010, Armstrong crashes during the Amgen Tour of California and is taken to the hospital. That same day, he denied allegations of doping made by former teammate Floyd Landis.
Ahead of what he said would be his last Tour de France, Armstrong gears up for the start of the race in 2010.
Lance Armstrong looks back as he rides in a breakaway during the 2010 Tour de France.
Armstrong finishes 23rd in the 2010 Tour de France. He announced his retirement from the world of professional cycling in February 2011. He said he wants to devote more time to his family and the fight against cancer.
Armstrong's son Luke; twin daughters, Isabelle and Grace; and 1-year-old son, Max, stand outside the Radioshack team bus on a rest day during the 2010 Tour de France.
The frame of Armstrong's bike is engraved with the names of his four children at the time and the Spanish word for five, "cinco." His fifth child, Olivia, was born in October 2010.
In February 2012, Armstrong competes in the 70.3 Ironman Triathlon in Panama City. He went on to claim two Half Ironman triathlon titles by June. He got back into the sport after retiring from professional cycling.
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