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Kenteris out of hospital
By The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 17, 2004 | No comments posted.
ATHENS, Greece - Sprinter Kostas Kenteris declared himself innocent as he left a hospital today, facing questions from prosecutors, fellow Greeks and the IOC about his missed drug test and motorcycle accident.
"I am suffering a great injustice, and I want to say I never used banned substances," Kenteris said as he got into a car and was driven away by a friend.
Sprinter Katerina Thanou, his training partner, left a short time later, declining to discuss their case until the International Olympic Committee rules on it.
Hospital patients stood on their balconies and watched the sports stars leave through a big crowd of reporters and photographers covering the nation's biggest story of the Olympics.
The sprinters have a hearing Wednesday with an IOC disciplinary committee, which wants to know why they missed drug tests in the Olympic village last Thursday.
A few hours later, they were taken to a hospital with cuts and bruises suffered when their motorcycle skidded on a road.
The city's chief prosecutor is investigating whether the accident was part of an attempt to cover up the missed drug tests. Police medical examiner Philipos Koutsaftis saw the sprinters at the hospital on Monday as part of the investigation, said a police source speaking on condition of anonymity.
The examiner's report said that he noticed a few cuts on Kenteris' right leg and left elbow, and detected no significant injuries to Thanou four days after the accident, according to the source.
Police also have interviewed a man who reportedly saw the motorcycle accident and drove the sprinters to the hospital, the source said.
The IOC's disciplinary committee twice postponed hearings while the sprinters remained in the hospital, giving them a chance to defend themselves in person.
Their lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said the sprinters want to give their side of a story that overshadowed the games' opening ceremony and disappointed a nation in one of its most eagerly-awaited moments.
"What interests them most is for the Greeks to be proud of them and to know the medals they've won, they won them honorably," Dimitrakopoulos said.
Kenteris, the reigning 200-meter champion, is the country's most celebrated athlete and Greece's best hope for gold in track at the Athens Games. He was considered a leading candidate to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. A Greek windsurfing champion got the honor.
Thanou was the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney four years ago.
The Greek Olympic Committee suspended the athletes on Saturday, pending a final decision by the IOC. Their coach, Christos Tsekos, also was suspended.
There's some question about whether the sprinters are physically fit enough to compete in the games, even if they're cleared by the IOC. The track events start on Aug. 20.
Dimitrakopoulos plans to fight any attempt to keep the sprinters out of the Olympics.
Any IOC decision would have to be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has set up a tribunal in Athens during the games. CAS is supposed to make rulings within 24 hours.
"I am suffering a great injustice, and I want to say I never used banned substances," Kenteris said as he got into a car and was driven away by a friend.
Sprinter Katerina Thanou, his training partner, left a short time later, declining to discuss their case until the International Olympic Committee rules on it.
Hospital patients stood on their balconies and watched the sports stars leave through a big crowd of reporters and photographers covering the nation's biggest story of the Olympics.
The sprinters have a hearing Wednesday with an IOC disciplinary committee, which wants to know why they missed drug tests in the Olympic village last Thursday.
A few hours later, they were taken to a hospital with cuts and bruises suffered when their motorcycle skidded on a road.
The city's chief prosecutor is investigating whether the accident was part of an attempt to cover up the missed drug tests. Police medical examiner Philipos Koutsaftis saw the sprinters at the hospital on Monday as part of the investigation, said a police source speaking on condition of anonymity.
The examiner's report said that he noticed a few cuts on Kenteris' right leg and left elbow, and detected no significant injuries to Thanou four days after the accident, according to the source.
Police also have interviewed a man who reportedly saw the motorcycle accident and drove the sprinters to the hospital, the source said.
The IOC's disciplinary committee twice postponed hearings while the sprinters remained in the hospital, giving them a chance to defend themselves in person.
Their lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said the sprinters want to give their side of a story that overshadowed the games' opening ceremony and disappointed a nation in one of its most eagerly-awaited moments.
"What interests them most is for the Greeks to be proud of them and to know the medals they've won, they won them honorably," Dimitrakopoulos said.
Kenteris, the reigning 200-meter champion, is the country's most celebrated athlete and Greece's best hope for gold in track at the Athens Games. He was considered a leading candidate to light the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony. A Greek windsurfing champion got the honor.
Thanou was the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney four years ago.
The Greek Olympic Committee suspended the athletes on Saturday, pending a final decision by the IOC. Their coach, Christos Tsekos, also was suspended.
There's some question about whether the sprinters are physically fit enough to compete in the games, even if they're cleared by the IOC. The track events start on Aug. 20.
Dimitrakopoulos plans to fight any attempt to keep the sprinters out of the Olympics.
Any IOC decision would have to be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has set up a tribunal in Athens during the games. CAS is supposed to make rulings within 24 hours.
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