Kenteris, Thanou crash can’t be verified
25 January 2011, 22:09
A traffic police investigator testifying at the perjury trial of doping-tainted Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou said Tuesday it is impossible to know whether the two staged a crash to miss a drug test.
Epaminondas Bouras said “God knows” whether it was a real motorcycle accident, as the runners claim.
The athletes, both medalists at the 2000 Sydney Games, face misdemeanor charges over the incident, which occurred just after they had missed a doping test on the eve of the 2004 Athens Olympics.
They are accused of making false statements and causing doctors to issue false testimony regarding their wounds. Both deny any wrongdoing, and neither appeared in court.
Bouras told the court that the athletes’ motorcycle had been going at about 20 kilometres (12 miles) an hour when it crashed in a southern Athens suburb.
“I can’t say with certainty whether it was an accident or not,” he said.
The incident cast a shadow over the Athens Olympics, where the two were hot favourites to win medals for the host country. Kenteris and Thanou withdrew from the games, and have since retired.
Also on trial are hospital doctors who attested to the athletes’ injuries, people who said they witnessed the accident and the athletes’ former coach, Christos Tzekos, charged with supplying banned substances.
All deny the charges.
The trial, which started last week after four years of postponement, resumes Friday.