After years of denials, Marion Jones is ready to admit she doped. The three-time Olympic gold medallist is scheduled to appear in a US District Court in White Plains, New York to plead guilty to charges in connection with steroid use, a federal law enforcement source said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is on, 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 yesterday. The Post was the first to report that Jones would come clean on doping.

“I want to apologise for all of this,” The Post reported Jones as 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, according to the newspaper.

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 gold medals she wanted, but came away with three and two bronzes, and her smile and charm made her a star.

The International Olympic Committee made clear yesterday it was prepared to strip Jones of her Sydney medals if she confesses 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.

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