Provisional suspension for Greek sprinters

[Danny]

Although there is yet to be a 'resolution' of their cases both Kenteris and Thanou were handed provisional suspensions today by the IAAF.


Greek sprinters banned
From correspondents in London
December 23, 2004
FOX SPORTS

GREEK sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were today provisionally suspended by the world governing athletics body for missing three doping tests before the Athens Olympics.

In a statement the International Association of Athletics Federations said explanations provided by the pair for missing tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens were unacceptable.

"Accordingly the IAAF has notified the Greek Federation earlier this afternoon that both athletes and the coach (Christos Tzekos) are provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their cases," the IAAF said.

Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200m champion, and Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the 2000 Games in Sydney, also face a criminal hearing in Greece over the missed tests.

They failed to appear to give samples in Chicago and Tel Aviv shortly before the Athens Games and again in Athens on August 12, the eve of the opening ceremony.

Greek prosecutors have also charged them with faking a midnight motorcycle crash which led to them spending four days in hospital.

Some medical staff have been charged with writing false medical reports.

The statement said the Greek Federation (SEGAS) will convene a disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there have been doping violations.

[Danny]

Obviously more information required on this current decision, but are they absolutely kidding themselves. Has Athletics gone mad?.....how can they let them off? More to come......

Greek sprinters cleared
From correspondents in Athens
March 19, 2005
FOX SPORTS

DISGRACED Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Ekaterina Thanou were cleared of missing doping tests today but their former coach Christos Tzekos was suspended for four years, the Greek athletics federation said.

"We are convinced they are not guilty of the accusations brought by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)," disciplinary committee chairman Costas Panagopoulos told a press conference.

The IAAF expressed surprise at the athletes' acquittal, and said it reserved the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS), whose ruling is final.

"The IAAF notes the decision to suspend the coach Christos Tzekos ... but was surprised to learn that the sprinters have been cleared of charges that they tried to evade doping controls," the IAAF said in a statement.

"The IAAF is now looking forward to receiving full documentation in English about this decision, and this will be carefully considered by our Doping Review Board," it said.

Thirty-one-year-old Kenteris, the 200m Olympic gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, and Thanou, silver medallist in the 100m, had been accused by the IAAF of breaking doping rules by failing to submit to drug tests on the eve of last year's Olympics in Athens. They had also been charged with missing tests in Tel Aviv on July 27-28, and Chicago on August 10-11.

They subsequently pulled out of the showpiece events in which both were tipped to be medal winners.

But the Greek athletics federation (Segas) today concluded that Kenteris and Thanou were not to blame for missing the August 12 drug test, as Tzekos had failed to inform them that they were being sought by International Olympic Committee officials.

"As long as they are innocent, it's fine with me," Tzekos told private television channel Alter.

"I feel very happy that the committee saw the truth."

Kenteris and Thanou have insisted they were rushing back to the Olympic village as soon as they received the IOC notification from Tzekos on August 12, but had a motorcycle accident that landed them in hospital.

However an investigation into the accident by Greek police failed to unearth evidence that the athletes actually had a crash.

Kenteris and Thanou subsequently spent four days in hospital in strict isolation at a time when they were sought for questioning by an IOC disciplinary commission.

In January, the athletes' lawyer insisted that the two would escape punishment.

The federation commission also cleared Kenteris of charges that he skipped a drugs test in Chicago in the weeks leading up to the Games, arguing that the athlete had given adequate warning that he would be in Germany at the time of the inspection.

Agence France-Presse

[Ian]

I agree Danny, it was a poor decision, it seems that many are as suprised as you, including the IAAF:

The International Association of Athletics Federations said it was "very surprised" by the Greek decision and will review it. The IAAF can reject the ruling and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.


Decision on athletes could be reversed
March 24, 2005 - 5:29AM
smh

The Greek athletics federation expects its decision to clear sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou of avoiding drug tests to be overturned.

"I don't think that Kostas Kenteris (and Thanou) will be cleared," Vassilis Sevastis, head of Greece's Amateur Athletic Association, told a parliamentary committee.

"I don't believe that our champions will be able to ever return to the track."

The Greek federation exonerated the runners last Friday of evading doping tests before last summer's Athens Olympics, saying they had not been properly notified about the controls. Their coach, Christos Tzekos, was given a four-year suspension for not telling them about the tests.

The International Association of Athletics Federations said it was "very surprised" by the Greek decision and will review it. The IAAF can reject the ruling and appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

World Anti-Doping Agency president Dick Pound has said he will appeal to CAS if the IAAF does not take action.

Advertisement
Advertisement"Whether our athletes are cleared or (not), the damage that they have sustained is very large," Sevastis said.

The sprinters missed a test on August 12, one day before the opening ceremony of the Olympics in their home country. They then spent four days in a hospital, claiming they were injured in a motorcycle crash, before withdrawing from the games.

Kenteris and Thanou have also been charged by a Greek prosecutor with avoiding a doping test and faking the motorcycle accident. They are due to stand trial later this year but a date has not been set.

The sprinters also allegedly missed tests in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Chicago during an 18-month period before the Olympics.

Kenteris, who won the 200-metre gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and Thanou, who took silver in the 100, were national heroes in Greece until the scandal broke.

[Danny]

100m champion charged
From correspondents in Athens
June 15, 2005

GREEK sprinter Kostas Kenteris has been charged with avoiding a drugs test and faking a motorcycle accident during last year's Olympics, justice sources said today.

Kenteris, the 200m gold medal winner in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has protested his innocence, claiming he had the accident with Katerina Thanou when rushing back to the Olympic village to undergo the test they missed.

Thanou, 100m silver medallist in Sydney, was criminally charged last week of missing the Athens test and, like Kenteris, of also missing tests in Chicago and Tel Aviv in the lead-up to the Athens Games.

If guilty they could face a suspended jail term.

The athletes' coach, Christos Tzekos, was charged with the same offences last week.

Kenteris and Thanou were kicked out of the Athens Games after failing to turn up for scheduled drugs tests including one on the eve of the opening ceremony.

Kenteris and Thanou were provisionally banned by athletics' ruling body, the IAAF, in December for missing three drugs tests.

But they were cleared by an independent Greek athletics tribunal.

The IAAF has appealed against the decision and the case will now go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Advertisement:
The athletes were re-suspended by the IAAF once the organisation decided to appeal.