September 13, 2011 - WADA supported the decision of the IAAF to sanction Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou when they missed three out-of-competition tests in 2004. The sanctions were upheld on appeal.

Now WADA is aware of the decision of the Greek appeal court to clear the pair of perjury charges, and it would appear the criminal case has now reached a conclusion.

WADA is concerned that this criminal case has taken seven years to be completed, but because we do not have details of the court’s reasoning we do not comment on it specifically.

However, our concern is deepened by the fact that there presently is no real anti-doping program in operation in Greece, and Greece is likely to be deemed non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code in November.

The accredited laboratory in Athens is likely to close because it has no work, and so it becomes an unfortunate truth that the Athens Olympics has left no anti-doping legacy to the sports movement and society as a whole in Greece.

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