Greek national sporting heroes and doping suspects Kostadinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou quit the Olympic Games on Wednesday after leaving an International Olympic Committee (IOC) hearing into their missed drugs test.
The Olympic 200m champion from the 2000 Games said he is doing it in the interests of his country, which is hosting the Games.
”In the interests of the country I am withdrawing from the Games,” said the 31-year-old.
”I also announce the end of my cooperation with my coach, Christos Tzekos.”
Kenteris and training partner Ekaterini Thanou, the women’s 100m silver medallist from the 2000 Olympics, had been before the IOC disciplinary commission over missing a mandatory drugs test last Thursday.
”I apologise to the Greek people for not being able to participate in the Games. It’s very difficult to withdraw from the Games, especially if they take place in one’s own home country,” Thanou told reporters a few minutes after Kenteris’s statement.
A Greek Olympic Committee spokesperson had said earlier in the day Thanou had not been registered to take part in the 100m, although she could have theoretically taken part in the women’s 4x100m relay.
The Greek stars’ controversial coach, Tzekos, said after the meeting he accepts responsibility for the incident, without, however, acknowledging any error on his part.
”I don’t feel I’ve made any errors. Nevertheless, I accept my responsibilities, whatever they are,” he said.
”I want to thank my two athletes for having had the courage to take the decision to withdraw,” added Tzekos, who served a two-year ban in the late 1990s after he barred drug officials from testing his athletes, which included Thanou.
Kenteris and Thanou spent 50 minutes before the IOC disciplinary commission over missing the mandatory drugs test.
The inquiry into the incident was subsequently delayed when both athletes were reportedly involved in a motorcycle crash just hours after they had missed the test.
The test had been scheduled the day ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony when Kenteris had been expected to have the honour of lighting the Olympic flame but had to be replaced by a windsurfer. — Sapa-AFP