honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 2:00 a.m., Friday, August 1, 2008

Olympics: Greek sprinter determined to run at Beijing Games

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press Writer

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Doping-tainted sprinter Katerina Thanou is determined to run at the Beijing Olympics, saying today that lingering doubts about whether the IOC will let her compete are unfair.

The 33-year-old Thanou served a two-year ban after missing a drug test before the 2004 Athens Olympics. She is now on the Greek track team for the Beijing Games after qualifying in the 100 meters.

An IOC disciplinary committee is due to meet Thursday — the eve of the opening ceremony — to decide whether she can participate.

"There is no official charge against me, so why am I being asked if I want to take part in the Olympics even though I have qualified under the rules?" Thanou said at a news conference, speaking publicly for the first time since 2004.

"I have been maligned and my career was damaged ... This is still going on. Enough is enough. I have never tested positive for any (banned substance) ... I don't think any other runners are subjected to this."

During the news conference, Thanou displayed her Beijing accreditation issued by Greece's Olympic Committee.

Thanou's lawyer, Gregory Ioannidis, accused the International Olympic Committee of hypocrisy.

"There is a case of discrimination against Ms. Thanou," Ioannidis said. "There are other athletes who have been convicted for serious doping offenses who are being allowed to participate in Beijing without any problem."

He indicated Thanou would take legal action against the IOC if she is barred from running.

"We have many legal options ... we are ready to react and we will react," Ioannidis said.

The 2004 doping scandal involving Thanou and fellow Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris was a major embarrassment for the organizers of the Athens Games. The two sprinters claimed they had been involved in a motorcycle accident after missing a doping test.

Thanou won the silver medal in the 100 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The gold medalist in that race was Marion Jones, who later was stripped of her medal, but the IOC has not yet decided whether to award the gold to Thanou.

Thanou, who narrowly qualified for the 100 in Beijing at a Greek track meet last month, said she doesn't expect to be a medal contender this time despite possibly extending her athletics career by another four years.

"I have tried to make the public proud," she said. "Perhaps people are expecting a medal from me, but after 10 years of competing at the top level, this might be more about participation. (Greek) people still like to see me run at big events.

"I don't know what will happen in Beijing, or if my career will end there. But I am thinking about another Olympic participation ... 2012."