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Top Greek sprinters injured in accident after failing to appear for IOC doping test
By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer
August 13, 2004
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were hospitalized Friday with injuries from a motorcycle wreck, forcing the IOC to postpone a hearing on whether they intentionally dodged drug testers.
The accident and accusations involving two of the nation's biggest sports stars stunned Greeks on the day of the Athens Games' opening ceremony and left organizers red-faced.
Kenteris had been considered a favorite to light the cauldron before a worldwide audience. The torchbearer traditionally remains a mystery until the last moment.
Kenteris, the defending Olympic 200-meter champion, and Thanou, the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney, were not seriously hurt in the accident, police said. They were expected to stay in the hospital for two more days, leaving them unable to attend their hearing Friday.
IOC officials granted a request to postpone the hearing until Monday, when the athletes might be available to attend.
``The games are much stronger than individuals,'' IOC president Jacques Rogge said at a news conference. ``We have had widely publicized doping cases before, they have not damaged the image of the games.''
Rogge said the IOC's medical director had gone to the hospital, near the main stadium complex, to give the sprinters a written summons to attend the disciplinary hearing.
The athletes were not present when the hearing began in the early afternoon, but under IOC rules they could be represented by a team official. Greek Olympic team leader Yiannis Papadoyiannakis attended on their behalf and asked for the postponement.
The sprinters' coach said a decision on whether they are well enough to compete will be made in the next few days. Track competition begins Aug. 20.
A statement from KAT hospital said the 31-year-old Kenteris had ``cranial trauma,'' whiplash and open wounds on his lower leg. Thanou sustained abdominal bruises, injuries to her right hip and a muscular injury to her right upper leg. They were listed in stable condition and were expected to stay for two more days.
Kenteris, who could not be found for a doping test in the athletes' village Thursday, is Greece's best hope for a gold medal in track.
They returned to Greece after a training session in Chicago and moved into the Olympic village, where the IOC failed to find them for a drug test. Last year, Kenteris and Thanou missed an out-of-competition drug test -- they were in Qatar after informing anti-doping officials they would be training on the Greek island of Crete.
Neither has tested positive for drugs. IAFF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said Kenteris passed two out-of-competition tests in the past 10 months, and Thanou passed two tests in the last seven months.
Arne Ljungqvist, the IOC medical commission chairman, said the drug testers had tried to find the athletes in Chicago a few days ago but couldn't. The sprinters had stopped in Germany on their way to the Olympic.
Once they were found in Athens, they were told to submit samples but didn't, said Ljungqvist, also the anti-doping chief of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
``He does not feel well and has a very bad headache,'' said Stratis Patakos, one of Kenteris' friends. ``Like all Greeks, I am distraught. Kostas has worked very hard to get here and now he's in the eye of the hurricane. He's not seriously injured, but his participation in the Olympics is under threat.''
Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis visited the athletes at the hospital but refused to comment.
``There was no intention from the Hellenic Olympic Committee to hide anything,'' Papadoyiannakis told state-run NET television. ``If there has been some kind of misunderstanding, that's something different. Many athletes leave the Olympic village for many reasons, to enjoy themselves.''
Christos Tsekos, the sprinters' coach, said they had their cell phones turned off and didn't know they were being sought.
``They were with me, they took the bike to get there quickly and as you can see, frustration is the worst thing,'' Tsekos said. ``At the time we were sitting on my balcony, we were in a bad state and under a lot of pressure ... it doesn't take a lot for a bad thing to happen.''
The head of the Greek track team, Yiannis Stamatopoulos, said the athletes had left the village to collect personal belongings from home. He said they had asked for an extension to take the drug tests.
Rogge set up a disciplinary committee to investigate ``the nature and circumstances of an alleged anti-doping rule violation committed by two Greek athletes.'' The IOC cited the athletes for ``unavailability for testing and failing, without compelling justification,'' to submit to testing.
The IOC's Anti-Doping Rules for these games say doping violations include ``refusing, or failing without compelling justification, to submit to sample collection after notification.'' Such a violation may lead to ineligibility.
Any sanction can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has set up a tribunal in Athens.
The news dominated headlines and overshadowed the Olympic flame relay as it headed for the stadium.
``A Shadow is Cast Over the Big Celebration,'' one Athens daily newspaper proclaimed. The front-page headline on another demanded: ``Tell Us the Truth.''
Kenteris was one of the biggest surprises of the 2000 Sydney Games, winning the 200 to become the first Greek man to win an Olympic medal in a running event since 1896.
Kenteris, who also won the world title in 2001, has competed in few international events since his Olympic victory. He dropped out of the 2003 world championships, citing a lingering thigh injury.
His rare appearances have frustrated fans and the Greek track federation, and led to rumors that he's trying to avoid drug tests.
At his news conference hours before the opening ceremony, Rogge was asked 18 questions -- seven of which focused on Kenteris and Thanou. At one point, he was asked whether the sprinters would be given special treatment.
``The fact that Ms. Thanou and Mr. Kenteris are Greek will have no impact whatsoever,'' Rogge said. ``We do not bear in mind national distinctions or issues of prestige.''
Associated Press writer Lisa Orkin and AP Sports Writers Stephen Wilson and Rob Gloster contributed to this report.
Top Greek sprinters injured in accident after failing to appear for IOC doping test
By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer
August 13, 2004
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were hospitalized Friday with injuries from a motorcycle wreck, forcing the IOC to postpone a hearing on whether they intentionally dodged drug testers.
The accident and accusations involving two of the nation's biggest sports stars stunned Greeks on the day of the Athens Games' opening ceremony and left organizers red-faced.
Kenteris had been considered a favorite to light the cauldron before a worldwide audience. The torchbearer traditionally remains a mystery until the last moment.
Kenteris, the defending Olympic 200-meter champion, and Thanou, the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney, were not seriously hurt in the accident, police said. They were expected to stay in the hospital for two more days, leaving them unable to attend their hearing Friday.
IOC officials granted a request to postpone the hearing until Monday, when the athletes might be available to attend.
``The games are much stronger than individuals,'' IOC president Jacques Rogge said at a news conference. ``We have had widely publicized doping cases before, they have not damaged the image of the games.''
Rogge said the IOC's medical director had gone to the hospital, near the main stadium complex, to give the sprinters a written summons to attend the disciplinary hearing.
The athletes were not present when the hearing began in the early afternoon, but under IOC rules they could be represented by a team official. Greek Olympic team leader Yiannis Papadoyiannakis attended on their behalf and asked for the postponement.
The sprinters' coach said a decision on whether they are well enough to compete will be made in the next few days. Track competition begins Aug. 20.
A statement from KAT hospital said the 31-year-old Kenteris had ``cranial trauma,'' whiplash and open wounds on his lower leg. Thanou sustained abdominal bruises, injuries to her right hip and a muscular injury to her right upper leg. They were listed in stable condition and were expected to stay for two more days.
Kenteris, who could not be found for a doping test in the athletes' village Thursday, is Greece's best hope for a gold medal in track.
They returned to Greece after a training session in Chicago and moved into the Olympic village, where the IOC failed to find them for a drug test. Last year, Kenteris and Thanou missed an out-of-competition drug test -- they were in Qatar after informing anti-doping officials they would be training on the Greek island of Crete.
Neither has tested positive for drugs. IAFF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said Kenteris passed two out-of-competition tests in the past 10 months, and Thanou passed two tests in the last seven months.
Arne Ljungqvist, the IOC medical commission chairman, said the drug testers had tried to find the athletes in Chicago a few days ago but couldn't. The sprinters had stopped in Germany on their way to the Olympic.
Once they were found in Athens, they were told to submit samples but didn't, said Ljungqvist, also the anti-doping chief of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
``He does not feel well and has a very bad headache,'' said Stratis Patakos, one of Kenteris' friends. ``Like all Greeks, I am distraught. Kostas has worked very hard to get here and now he's in the eye of the hurricane. He's not seriously injured, but his participation in the Olympics is under threat.''
Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis visited the athletes at the hospital but refused to comment.
``There was no intention from the Hellenic Olympic Committee to hide anything,'' Papadoyiannakis told state-run NET television. ``If there has been some kind of misunderstanding, that's something different. Many athletes leave the Olympic village for many reasons, to enjoy themselves.''
Christos Tsekos, the sprinters' coach, said they had their cell phones turned off and didn't know they were being sought.
``They were with me, they took the bike to get there quickly and as you can see, frustration is the worst thing,'' Tsekos said. ``At the time we were sitting on my balcony, we were in a bad state and under a lot of pressure ... it doesn't take a lot for a bad thing to happen.''
The head of the Greek track team, Yiannis Stamatopoulos, said the athletes had left the village to collect personal belongings from home. He said they had asked for an extension to take the drug tests.
Rogge set up a disciplinary committee to investigate ``the nature and circumstances of an alleged anti-doping rule violation committed by two Greek athletes.'' The IOC cited the athletes for ``unavailability for testing and failing, without compelling justification,'' to submit to testing.
The IOC's Anti-Doping Rules for these games say doping violations include ``refusing, or failing without compelling justification, to submit to sample collection after notification.'' Such a violation may lead to ineligibility.
Any sanction can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has set up a tribunal in Athens.
The news dominated headlines and overshadowed the Olympic flame relay as it headed for the stadium.
``A Shadow is Cast Over the Big Celebration,'' one Athens daily newspaper proclaimed. The front-page headline on another demanded: ``Tell Us the Truth.''
Kenteris was one of the biggest surprises of the 2000 Sydney Games, winning the 200 to become the first Greek man to win an Olympic medal in a running event since 1896.
Kenteris, who also won the world title in 2001, has competed in few international events since his Olympic victory. He dropped out of the 2003 world championships, citing a lingering thigh injury.
His rare appearances have frustrated fans and the Greek track federation, and led to rumors that he's trying to avoid drug tests.
At his news conference hours before the opening ceremony, Rogge was asked 18 questions -- seven of which focused on Kenteris and Thanou. At one point, he was asked whether the sprinters would be given special treatment.
``The fact that Ms. Thanou and Mr. Kenteris are Greek will have no impact whatsoever,'' Rogge said. ``We do not bear in mind national distinctions or issues of prestige.''
Associated Press writer Lisa Orkin and AP Sports Writers Stephen Wilson and Rob Gloster contributed to this report.
