Kenteris hearing put back till Monday

Greek Olympic hero Kostas Kenteris has been given a 72-hour stay of execution as he battles to clear his name after an alleged missed drugs test.

Kenteris and his training partner, former world 100m indoor champion Katerina Thanou, have been told they must stay in hospital over the weekend for more medical attention following their mysterious motorcycle accident in Athens last night.

It meant the pair would have been unable to defend themselves at an IOC disciplinary hearing which was due to be held this lunchtime into the failure to submit to a random drugs test – so following an appeal from their legal team, it has been decided to delay the hearing until Monday.

While the latest development means a cloud continues to be cast over the Olympics, it does at least mean IOC president Jacques Rogge can officially declare the Games open this evening without the worry of it being entirely overshadowed by two of the host nation’s most vaunted athletes.

Kenteris and Thanou were absent from the Athletes’ Village when IOC officials turned up to carry out the test at 6.15pm last night, just hours after the pair had flown in from their training base in Chicago.

It has been claimed they had briefly left the village to collect some personal belongings and had not personally been informed of the test.