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Greek Kenteris keen to clear his name
The disgraced Greek sprinter, Kostas Kenteris, has come out fighting over claims that he faked a motorcycle crash to avoid a drug test before the Athens Olympics. Kenteris and his training partner, Katerini Thanou, were supposed to have been Greece's major gold medal hopes but withdrew from the Olympics following the scandal that wrecked the host nation's opening ceremony. Among those Kenteris blamed for his fall from grace were his former coach, Christos Tzekos, the Greek national Olympic committee and Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee. At no stage, however, did he accept any of the responsibility for himself. In an interview with Greece's Alter Television station, Kenteris, the Olympic 200 metres champion in Sydney, said he welcomed the chance to clear his name in court. He should find out this week whether Greek prosecutors will file charges against him and Thanou over their involvement in the allegations of faking the crash. Kenteris said: "If a decision is taken to have charges filed against me, I will accept it gladly. A prosecution means that the case will be cleared. It was irresponsible to get on the bike but I went crazy when I found out that I had supposedly missed a doping test and I wanted to rush to the Olympic village. I had never been notified and suddenly people were saying I could be thrown out of the Games. The accident did occur." However, doctors at the hospital where Kenteris and Thanou were admitted are also under investigation as well as people who said they witnessed the accident. If prosecutors press charges and the two sprinters are found guilty, their punishment could range from a few months in prison to a suspended sentence or a fine. An investigation by a special committee of the International Association of Athletics Federations is due to report to the world governing body's ruling council in Helsinki on Dec 4. |
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