Greek sprinters are innocent says lawyer

Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou are innocent despite the world's governing body for athletics' appeal against their acquittal on charges related to missing three doping tests, their lawyer said on Saturday.

The athletes were cleared by their national federation on March 18 in a shock decision after the Greek authorities said the pair were victims of incorrect procedures in notifying them of doping tests, including one just before the Athens Olympics.

The athletes spectacularly withdrew from last year's Games days before they were due to race in front of their home crowd.

They are now suspended again pending the result of the appeal by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) against the national federation's decision to clear them of anti-doping rule violations.

"By appealing the decision they (IAAF) show their panic and the pressure they are under from the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency," Grigoris Ioannidis told reporters.

"My clients are completely innocent and the IAAF has not yet even received the file from Greece which includes data and evidence of their innocence which the IAAF just failed to include when they sent their documents to Greece."

Ioannidis said he would hold a press conference in London this week where he would prove the sprinters had done nothing wrong.

The IAAF on Friday said its doping review board had concluded that the Greek verdict was wrong.