Sport | Other Sports

Thanou banned from Beijing Olympics

Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been barred from competing in the Beijing Games because of her involvement in a doping scandal four years ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday.

  • Reuters
  • Published: 23:49 August 10, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou
  • Image Credit: Reuters

Beijing: Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been barred from competing in the Beijing Games because of her involvement in a doping scandal four years ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday.

Thanou and fellow Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris were at the heart of the biggest Olympic doping affair in years when they missed a drugs test just before the Athens 2004 Games.
The case brought the Olympic movement into disrepute, the IOC said.

Returning from a ban, Thanou qualified for Beijing but needed IOC approval to compete.

Accepting it

"Upon receiving the recommendations of the IOC's disciplinary commission, the executive board has declared Miss Thanou ineligible to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.

She said the decision was meant "to send a firm signal of the IOC's moral consideration that this case has brought the Olympic movement very much into disrepute".

Greece's Olympic Committee said it had no choice but to accept the IOC's decision.

"This is an IOC ruling, based on its Olympic charter," Committee President Minos Kyriakou said.

"We just have to accept it and that's it."

Thanou and Kenteris were banned until December 2006 for violating anti-doping rules after missing the drugs test on the eve of the Athens Games.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 0 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

Related Articles

  1. Kostelecky wins gold in trap shooting

    Kostelecky wins gold in trap shooting

    Kostelecky wins gold in trap shooting

  2. Super start

    Super start

  3. Briton Saunders impresses in first Games bout win

    Briton Saunders impresses in first Games bout win

    Briton Saunders impresses in first Games bout win

  4. Ahmad misses the mark

    Ahmad misses the mark

  5. China crash to first place

    China crash to first place

  6. Britain's Adlington wins 400-metre freestyle Olympic gold

    Britain's Adlington wins 400-metre freestyle Olympic gold

  7. India's Bindra wins Olympic gold in men's 10-metre air rifle

    India's Bindra wins Olympic gold in men's 10-metre air rifle

    India's Bindra wins country's first ever Olympic individual gold

  8. Monika Devi cleared of doping charges

    India weightlifter Monika Devi cleared of doping charges

  9. 2008 Olympics medal tally

    2008 Olympics medal tally

    Find out which countries have won medals in the Olympic Games

More from Other sports

  1. Last-gasp goal helps Islanders down Leafs

  2. Mayweather Sr attacks Pacman's technique

  3. Phelps ready to focus on 2010

  4. Welshman ends Al Joker's amazing run

All articles in Other sports

More from Sport

Gulf News
Popular in Sport
Kings of the court
Pictures

Kings of the court

The world's top tennis players who will battle in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

Sport Editor's choice