Eurosport - Thu, 07 Aug 12:47:00 2008
Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou's eligibility for the Beijing Games was still undecided after an International Olympic Committee disciplinary review, president Jacques Rogge said.
The Sydney 100m silver medallist has been locked in a long-running dispute with the IOC over whether she can compete in Beijing because of a drugs scandal that also involved fellow Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris before the Athens Games in 2004.
Thanou, who withdrew from Athens following a missed drugs test and was subsequently banned until Dec. 2006, qualified for Beijing but needed IOC approval to compete at the Games.
"There has been a meeting of the disciplinary commission," Rogge said on Thursday. "I have not received their report. It is a little bit too soon."
IOC officials said it could take a few days before a final decision.
Thanou is scheduled to arrive on August 13, a few days before the 100m heats begin on August 16.
Her lawyer has repeatedly accused the IOC of discrimination, threatening legal action should she not be allowed to race.
The IOC said since Thanou and Kenteris voluntarily handed in their accreditations during the Athens Games, it had closed the case at the time and reserved the right to review her eligibility in future Games.
"From a legal point of view there is no problem to have a disciplinary review of Thanou," Rogge said.
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