Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Sprinter Marion Jones returned the five medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after admitting she used steroids, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said.

Jones, who voluntarily relinquished the medals, also accepted a two-year ban, although she announced her retirement Oct. 5 after admitting to a U.S. federal court that she took performance-enhancing drugs before the 2000 Games.

Jones's sanction, which begins today, requires her disqualification from all competitive events since Sept. 1, 2000, and the forfeiture of all medals, results, points and prizes, the agency said in an e-mailed statement.

``The outcome of this story is a valuable reminder that true athletic accomplishment is not obtained through cheating and any medal acquired through doping is only fool's gold,'' Usada Chief Executive Travis Tygart said in the statement.

The 31-year-old Jones, who won three golds and two bronzes in Sydney, gave the medals to the U.S. Olympic Committee this afternoon, USOC Chief Executive Jim Scherr said on a conference call with reporters.

``She took the right step by quickly returning the medals,'' Scherr said. ``They are in the possession of the USOC and will be returned to the International Olympic Committee so they can be awarded to the appropriate winners.''

The Colorado Springs-based USOC wants restitution for money Jones received from the organization as a U.S. team member. Scherr also said the USOC is seeking more than $100,000 in prize bonuses it paid to Jones.

Jones pleaded guilty last week to two counts of obstruction of justice in federal court in White Plains, New York. She had previously denied using banned performance-enhancing substances and threatened to sue those who said she cheated.

Jones was charged with impeding a Justice Department probe of illegal steroid use in U.S. sports and a separate probe of a bad-check cashing scheme by fellow athlete Tim Montgomery. She faces as much as six months in jail under the plea deal at her sentencing Jan. 11.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 8, 2007 21:50 EDT