After years of denials, Marion Jones is ready to admit she doped.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist was scheduled to appear in US District Court in White Plains, New York, yesterday to plead guilty to charges in connection with steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told reporters.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, and would not provide details about the plea.
Jones sent family and friends a letter in which she said she used steroids before the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The Post was the first to report that Jones would come clean on doping.
"I want to apologize for all of this," the Post reported Jones saying in her letter, quoting a person who received a copy and read it to the paper. "I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways."
Jones said in her letter that she faced up to six months in jail and would be sentenced in three months, the newspaper said.
The admission also could cost Jones the five medals she won in Sydney, where she was the most celebrated female athlete of the games. She didn't win the five golds she wanted, but came away with three and two bronzes, and her smile and charm made her a star.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday made clear it was prepared to strip Jones of her Sydney medals if she confessed to doping.
"The IOC has learnt about Marion Jones' intention to plead guilty to lying to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing substances during her career," the committee said in a statement from Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Since 2004 the IOC has had an open file on the BALCO case -- it set up a disciplinary commission with a view to investigating how the affair might have affected Olympic Games competitions. Progress to date has been slow due the difficulty of gathering findings," the committee said.
"The information that Marion Jones might provide later on today may prove to be key in moving this case forward," it said.
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