Injured Greek stars face drugs ban


Kenteris is a Greek national hero after winning gold in Sydney

Greek duo Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are facing expulsion from the Olympics after missing a drugs test.

The sprinters were unavailable for testing after being allowed to leave the Olympic Village by Greek officials to collect belongings from their homes.

Reigning 200m Olympic champion Kenteris and Thanou were then involved in a road accident and taken to hospital.

The pair have been ordered to appear before an International Olympic Committee (IOC) tribunal on Friday.

The news comes at the worst possible time for the host nation, just hours ahead of Friday's opening ceremony in Athens, where Kenteris was expected to light the Olympic Cauldron.

Kenteris, a hugely popular figure in Greece, was expected to be as big a star in Athens as Cathy Freeman was in Sydney four years ago.

Greek Olympic team spokesman, George Gakis, said: "They have been involved in an accident involving a motorcycle. They have been taken to hospital."

KENTERIS' CAREER
Feb 2000
Finishes last in Euro Indoors 200m final
Sept 2000
Wins Olympic 200m final
Aug 2001
Wins World 200m gold
Aug 2002
Wins European 200m gold
Aug 2003
Pulls out of Worlds with surprise late injury



The spokesman added that the motorcycle accident happened near Glyfada, a southern Athens suburb where the Greek team has its training headquarters.

Greek athletics federation chief, Vassilis Sevastis, said the injuries were not serious.

"As you will understand their psychological state was not good. It seems that it's not something very serious. Tests are ongoing," Sevastis said.

Kenteris and Thanou, who won silver in the women's 100m at Sydney, were due to attend the drug test at 1930 local time on Thursday.

Christos Tzekos, coach of the two athletes, said they were at their home at the time of the test.

Having missed it, they apparently asked to take a test later in the evening at the clinic in the Olympic Village rather than at the anti-doping laboratory in Athens.

If they fail to have a plausible excuse for failing to take the random test, they face the prospect of being expelled from the Games and serving an automatic two-year ban.

What the investigation will try to establish is the exact reason why the test was missed


IOC delegate Denis Oswald

After an emergency meeting, IOC president Jacques Rogge ordered the launch of a three-man disciplinary committee to investigate the case.

"If all the elements are in place, there is no reason why the case cannot be completed in a single day," said IOC delegate Denis Oswald. "What the investigation will try to establish is the exact reason why the test was missed." Both athletes are national heroes in Greece after their exploits four years ago.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olym...cs/3560680.stm