Cops nab dope crash witness

Print article

email story

Related Articles

* 'Don't praise shamed stars'

* Greek coach in huge drug bust

* Greek sprinters' accident 'faked'

* No action against Greek sprinters

* Quitting drama talk of Athens

* Kenteris quits Olympics

Athens - A man who claimed to have witnessed a motorcycle accident involving Greek sprinters Kostadinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou has been arrested on suspicion of making a false statement, police said on Wednesday.

Police did not identify the man but said he was a convicted criminal who had recently served an 18-month prison sentence for fraud and theft of identity in the latest twist to the case which has stunned the Olympic hosts.

The witness had testified in a statement to police that he had seen Kenteris and Thanou thrown from their motorcycle in a crash on August 12, just hours after the couple had failed to appear for a mandatory drug test.

The sprinters withdrew from the Athens Games last week after leaving hospital to face an International Olympic Committee (IOC) hearing into the missed dope test at the athletes village.

The arrested man was one of two witnesses to the mysterious accident who had come forward, neither of whom have been deemed credible.

Intitial results of an inquiry by a Greek prosecutor have indicated either the accident did not take place at all, or that the athletes deliberately crashed the bike in order to give themselves injuries, officials have said.

Philippos Koutsaftis, a medical expert who examined the athletes last week, concluded that if there had been an accident the motorbike must have been travelling at a low speed, the source said.

The medical expert also told the investigation that the initial reports on their duo's condition from the KAT hospital in Athens had exaggerated the extent of their injuries, which were minor.

Kenteris and Thanou remained in hospital for five days, which the expert concluded was unnecessary.

The sprinters' lawyer had claimed the couple fell from the motorbike Kenteris was steering as they were rushing back to the athletes' village from their coach's house after discovering they were needed for the doping test.

But no accident was reported to police and no ambulance was called to the scene. A police investigation was launched because of contradictions in the pair's statements.