Australian Olympic Committee condemns Stuart O'Grady as cyclist's legacy remains in doubt Stuart O'Grady (letf) on the podum with Graeme Brown after the pair won the Madison at Athens Olympics. Photo: Ian Waldie The fate of Stuart O'Grady's four Olympic medals rests in the hands of the International Olympic Committee, following the veteran Australian rider's admission he used the banned drug EPO in the lead up to the 1998 Tour de France. The fallout began on Thursday, with Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates sending O'Grady an email asking for his immediate resignation from the AOC Athletes' Commission. Fairfax Media was awaiting comment from the World Anti-Doping Agency boss John Fahey on what course of action may occur regarding the 39-year-old, who has competed in 17 Tours and held the yellow jersey for three days during the 1998 race. AOC President John Coates. O'Grady announced his retirement on Wednesday amid speculation he would be named in a French Senate inquiry into doping. The report was released with O'Grady's name among a secondary group of 12 riders who returned "suspicious" samples during the 1998 race. It is understood that O'Grady is unlikely to have to surrender his Olympic medals, due to the eight-year statute of limitations. However, that decision is out of Australia's hands. The International Olympic Committee could take months to conclude a decision. O'Grady won a silver medal at Barcelona in 1992, two bronze medals at Atlanta in 1996 and gold in the Madison at Athens in 2004. Coates sent his email early on Thursday morning. "Members of our London Olympic team, who elected Stuart to the Athletes' Commission, are entitled to be angry knowing they had supported an athlete who had cheated," the AOC president said. Athletes Commission members are chosen for their qualities of integrity and leadership. And, by his admission, Stuart does not deserve to be a member of that group. The Athletes' Commission is an advisory body to the AOC executive on matters pertaining to the Olympic movement from an athletes' perspective. Spokesman Mike Tancred added: "He has let himself down, his team mates and his sport. He is a six-time Olympian, a gold medallist, but his career is now tarnished. Instead of being remembered as an outstanding competitor, he will be remembered as someone who succumbed to the temptation of drugs to gain an edge over his fellow athletes. Cycling Australia CEO Graham Fredericks said: "Stuart has been one of Australia's most enduring road riders, who appears to have made a poor decision which will regrettably now have an impact on the legacy of his career. The late 1990s was clearly a dark period in cycling's international history. Athletes transitioning from the strict anti-doping regimes enforced under the domestic CA/AIS programs were faced with a very different environment when they landed in Europe. Fredericks said that significant measures had since been implemented to "eliminate the scourge of drugs" from cycling, which was "in a cleaner position now than it has ever been."