Stephen Pate is an internationally competitive cyclist and former Olympian. After turning pro in 1986, Pate won three world pro medals and set as many world pro records for 200m, 500m, and 1 km. In 1991, he won a bronze medal at the World Professional Championship at Stuttgart. However, he and his fellow Australian Carey Hall later tested positive for steroids and were stripped of their medals.

In March 1998 there were allegations that selectors for the upcoming Olympiad, including Coach Charlie Walsh, the national coach for the Australian Cycling Federation

Australian Cycling Federation

Cycling Australia, the trading name of the Australian Cycling Federation Inc, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in Australia, and represents the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and State federations...

 at the Australian Institute of Sport

Australian Institute of Sport

The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...

, had been biased in favour of riders in the AIS squad. The selection procedure was questioned after Bradley McGee

Bradley McGee

Bradley John McGee OAM is an Australian former professional racing cyclist. He is currently a directeur sportif for UCI ProTeam Team Saxo Bank and the personal coach of young Australian rider Richie Porte. He started cycling in 1986 at the age of ten...

(a former AIS rider) was selected even though he did not attend the selection trial or ride the national championship, while Pate (not a member of the AIS squad), the then-current national madision champion, was not selected.