The two Greek sprint stars facing expulsion from the Athens Games after missing a dope test are being investigated by police over their mysterious motor-bike accident that has kept them in hospital for four days.
Olympic 200 meters champion Kostadinos Kenteris and women’s 100m silver medalist Ekaterini Thanou have been detained in KAT hospital after they claimed to have had a crash on Thursday night.
The couple claim they were rushing back to the athletes’ village after discovering they were wanted for a doping test. But no accident was reported to police and no ambulance was called to the scene of the accident.
Police quizzed the couple in the hospital yesterday morning about the accident. Later the Greek prosecutor announced an investigation. Sources said the decision to launch the probe was caused by contradictions in the couple’s statements.
The medical report into their injuries is also part of the investigation. The hospitalization has forced the IOC’s discipline commission, investigating why they failed to turn up for a doping test last Thursday, to delay the probe twice.
On Saturday it was postponed for 72 hours and yesterday the pair were given another 48 hours to appear before the commission to put forward their side of the story.
The duo’s lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said they were not fit enough to leave hospital and were still being treated for their injuries following Thursday’s motorcycle accident.
Both Dimitrakopoulos and coach Christos Tzekos appeared yesterday morning before the three-man IOC discipline commission in the Hilton Hotel.
Francois Carrard, former director general of the IOC and now legal advisor to the commission said their lawyer had promised that the two athletes would leave the hospital tomorrow and appear before the commission.
“The Commission considers the opportunity to provide the athletes with the chance to explain themselves is paramount,” said the Swiss lawyer. “That is why there is a postponement.
“Mr. Dimitrakopoulos said he had the power to represent the athletes and the power to speak on their behalf. He is on record as saying I am committing that provided they are alive the athletes will leave the hospital. This matter will be addressed one way or another on Wednesday.”
Carrard added that the commission was investigating at least two cases of missed tests against the athletes. If found guilty the couple would been automatically banned for two years.
The original probe started after they failed to turn up on Thursday for a doping test in the athletics village. Testers were told they had left the village for personal reasons.
Dimitrakopoulos, who had argued their case in front of the Greek National Olympic Committee on Saturday that had voted 5-1 to only withdraw them temporarily pending the IOC decision, said that he was delighted with the 48-hour extension.
“They (the Commission) asked for a medical certificate which I gave them,” he said. “It is our first victory in our effort to prove that Greeks can be proud of these two champion Olympians.
“I hope that Kenteris and Thanou will emerge from this challenge and prove that they are clean,” he added.
The athletes’ controversial coach was also delighted by the extension. “We are very happy because it gives the athletes a chance to speak. It is never good when things like this happen but we are definitely confident they will be cleared,” said Tzekos, who received a two year ban from the IAAF in the late 90’s over physically stopping testers testing his athletes.
Meanwhile, judo’s governing body postponed any decision on possible sanctions against Iran yesterday over the country’s refusal to compete against Israel at the Olympics. International Judo Federation (IJF) spokesman Michel Brousse said an emergency meeting, following on from an inconclusive session on Sunday, had been postponed become some executive committee members were unable to attend.
He could not say when it might now take place. But he said the IJF would announce later that an investigating committee was being set up to look into an affair which threatens to undermine the Olympics’ sporting ideals. Israel’s top judo official called earlier for Iran to be punished for double-world champion Arash Miresmaeili’s failure to compete against the Jewish State’s Ehud Vaks in Sunday’s opening round of the under-66kg class.
The Iranian, his country’s flag-bearer in the opening ceremony, failed to make the weight by several kilos in what Israeli officials said was a deliberate move to avoid meeting their athlete.
