IAAF suspends Kenteris, Thanou

Athens:

After more than four months of deliberations, the IAAF has suspended Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou for failing to take their drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. The IAAF said explanations from the pair and their former coach as to why they missed the tests were unacceptable. However the suspension is a provisional one pending the resolution of their cases. The suspension also covers the athletes' controversial coach, Christos Tzekos. It is now the prerogative of the Greek Athletic Federation to convene a disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there had been doping violations. If found guilty, the two athletes could face two-year bans. Besides that, Kenteris and Thanou also face a criminal hearing for apparently faking a motorcycle crash in Greece in order to miss the tests. However the case is far from closed. The athletes' lawyer claims that the IAAF were wrong to suspend the pair and that they will present their case before the disciplinary committee.