Greek sprinters face IAAF charges
 |  Thanou and Kenteris could face bans of up to two years |
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LONDON, England -- Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have been charged by the International Association of Athletics Federations for missing drugs tests at this year's Athens Olympics.
Their former coach Christos Tzekos has also been charged with distributing prohibited substances and tampering with the doping control process.
A statement by the IAAF said the governing body's Doping Review Board had conducted an extensive three-month inquiry.
It had concluded that evidence exists that the three committed doping violations.
"Disciplinary proceedings will now be initiated ...in accordance with the standard procedures set out in IAAF Rules," the statement read.
Greek prosecutors last month also charged the sprinters with repeatedly obstructing doping officials after they failed to appear at scheduled drugs tests in Chicago and Tel Aviv shortly before the Games, and again in Athens on August 12 on the eve of the opening ceremony.
They were also charged with faking a midnight motorcycle crash which led to their spending four days in hospital as the IAAF sought to question them. Some hospital staff were charged with writing up false medical reports.
The trio have until December 16 to respond to the IAAF charges and, if their explanations are rejected, they will be provisionally suspended pending a hearing before a disciplinary tribunal of the Greek Federation.
The sprinters could face a ban of up to two years but under IAAF rules, they could appeal against any decision of the Greek Federation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Kenteris was a shock winner of the men's 200 meters gold medal at the Sydney Olympics four years ago and Thanou won the women's 100 meters silver.
The fall from grace of the two athletes, national heroes after their success in Sydney, was the biggest Olympic doping scandal since 100 meters gold medallist Ben Johnson tested positive for drugs at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
