Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou banned from Olympics

Controversial Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been banned from being a contestant in the Beijing Olympic Games because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) blocked her participation in the event.

33-year-old Thanou had been on the list for Greece's Olympic squad for the 100m but the IOC decided against her taking part because of her withdrawal from the 2004 Games in Athens when fellow sprinter and compatriot Kostas Kenteris also missed a drugs test.

A representative for the IOC explained that their ruling was intended "to send a firm signal...that this case has brought the Olympic movement very much into disrepute".

However, Thanou has not taken this lightly and has threatened to take legal action against the IOC and president Jacques Rogge if she is not permitted to take part in the Olympics.

When Kenteris and Thanou missed the doping test it was the third time they had failed to show up for such a test, and because of this they received a two-year suspension.

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Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 August 2008 )

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