ATHENS, 16 June 2005 — Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris told a magistrate yesterday he was innocent of charges that he deliberately missed a doping test on the eve of the Athens Olympics and staged a motorcycle accident to avoid being tested.
Kenteris, fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou and their coach at the time, Christos Tzekos, face charges of avoiding three doping tests including the one in Athens in August 2004 and faking the accident that put the two athletes in hospital for four days.
“This country gave birth to the Olympics but also to this nightmare,” Kenteris’ lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told reporters after the testimony.
“There is not the slightest evidence that he is guilty of the charges laid against him.”
A court source told Reuters that the former Olympic champion, who appeared in court wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, had repeated his claim of innocence.
“He (Kenteris) calmly repeated to the magistrate that he is innocent and has done nothing wrong,” the source told Reuters. “A date for the trial has not yet been set.”
Dimitrakopoulos said he was confident all charges would be dropped and the athletes would be allowed to resume their careers.
Kenteris testified after being granted two extensions in recent weeks. Thanou and Tzekos testified last week.
Kenteris, winner of the 200 meters gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, and Thanou, a 100 meters silver medalist at the same Games in Sydney, were cleared of wrongdoing by a Greek athletics commission in March.
This decision angered the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The IAAF has since lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
After their stay in hospital, the sprinters voluntarily withdrew from the Games to avoid heaping further embarrassment on the host nation.
They are still banned from competing pending the IAAF appeal and face a two-year ban if the CAS decide to overturn the Greek commission’s ruling. The commission decided the athletes were victims of incorrect notification procedures.
Tzekos has been banned by the Greek athletics commission for four years for his involvement in the case. He also faces charges of importing banned substances through his nutritional supplements company.
