Kenteris denies staging Olympic bike 'crash'

Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris has denied faking a motorbike crash to avoid a doping test before the start of the Athens Olympics.

Kenteris, the 200 metres Olympic champion in Sydney, and fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week.

Part of the investigation centres on whether they staged the crash.

But Kenteris told Greece’s Alter Television station: “The accident happened. I went crazy when I found out I had supposedly missed a test and I wanted to rush to the Olympic village.”

Kenteris and Thanou eventually withdrew from the Games to avoid being thrown out by the International Olympic Committee.

Kenteris, aged 31, blames Greek Olympic Committee officials and his former coach Christos Tzekos for failing to inform him of the test.

“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. I want to go to the end and then we’ll see who’s right and who isn’t.”