Greek sprinters quit Games, IOC hands cases on

Greece's two top athletes pulled out of the Athens Olympics yesterday and apologised to the Greek people for a scandal over missed dope tests that has tarnished the Games' return to their birthplace.

Four hours later, after an emergency meeting of its executive board, the International Olympic Committee decided not to take any action against Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou and handed their case to athletics' governing body, the IAAF. The IAAF yesterday announced that it will consider the cases of Kenteris and Thanou at a council meeting on August 26 in Athens.

An IOC statement said: "This decision means that (they) will not take part in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and that the IOC is no longer the authority responsible for issuing potential sanctions related to the Athens Olympic Games."

They are likely to face a lengthy ban if the IAAF, as expected, find they have broken anti-doping regulations.

"With a sense of responsibility and national interest I am retiring from the Olympic Games," Olympic 200 metres champion Kenteris said as he emerged after an IOC disciplinary hearing.

He and training partner Thanou, the 100 metres silver medallist in Sydney, protested their innocence.

"It is very hard for an athlete to withdraw from the Games especially when those Games are at home," said Thanou.

Kenteris, 31, said he had broken with their controversial coach Christos Tzekos and blamed sports officials for the mess, saying he had not been notified of last Thursday's dope test appointment. Tzekos has also withdrawn from the Games.

"My country has waited 108 years for the Games to come home," Kenteris said, acknowledging the national scandal that has cast a shadow over the early days of the 16-day festival.

"I want to apologise to the Greek people that I will not be at the Games, that I will not manage to race, and that is why I handed my accreditation into the IOC today," Thanou, 29, said as she emerged a few minutes later.

Having missed the eve-of-Games tests in the Olympic Village, the pair then checked into hospital after reporting a late-night motorcycle accident. Two postponed IOC hearings later, they emerged from hospital on Tuesday to face the panel.

No witnesses to the accident have come forward.

Innocence protested

Kenteris, who had been a candidate for the national honour of lighting the Olympic flame at last Friday's Games opening ceremony, surprised world athletics with his gold medal in 2000.

The athletes' lawyer, Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, said: "We offered evidence of their innocence but because this could have dragged on for another three days or so they took the courageous decision to withdraw."

The main Olympics athletics competition gets under way tomorrow when the first heats of Thanou's event take place.