Olympic Winner, Marion Jones, Admits to Steroid Use [J. Mark English]

It will only be a matter of time before the International Olympic Committee acts to strip Jones of her five medals that she won as a track athlete during the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.

Here is more from the Associated Press:

The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will step up its investigation into the Jones case and the possible removal of her three gold and two bronze medals from the 2000 Sydney Games.

"We welcome that there is now some light to be shed on the whole affair," IOC vice president Thomas Bach told The Associated Press. "Now, with this admission, we can accelerate and speed up the procedures."

The IOC opened its investigation in December 2004 after Jones was implicated in the BALCO steroid scandal. The American runner — the only female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics — repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and the IOC had little firm evidence to go on until now.

Jones was scheduled to appear Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y. to plead guilty to charges in connection with steroid use, a federal law enforcement source told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Jones also sent family and close friends a letter in which she said she used steroids before the Sydney Games.