Olympics-Doping-Thanou's selection presents IOC with quandary

Olympics-Doping-Thanou's selection presents IOC with quandary

Katerina Thanou, banned for doping violations at the 2004 Olympics, has been included in Greece's squad for the Beijing Games but whether the sprinter will run next month remains to be seen.

With the deadline for qualifying set at 2200GMT on Wednesday, Thanou, who failed a drug test on the eve of the Athens Games, will have her place on the Hellenic Olympic Committee's (HOC) squad confirmed.

"Since we have still not heard from her and the qualification deadline ends tonight with no contender for Thanou's 100m spot, she is included in our official Olympic team," an HOC official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Thanou, who with fellow sprinter Costas Kenteris missed a drugs test before Athens and then claimed to have crashed their motorcycle, was eventually banned for two years until December 2006.

She has not yet said if she will go to the Beijing Games starting on Aug 8 but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made it clear it would examine her right to compete before allowing her to race.

Asked whether there was any time limit for her to inform the HOC she will not go to Beijing, the official said once Wednesday's deadline ran out it could be as late as just before her first race. The first round of 100m heats is set for Aug 16.

The IOC, who urged the pair to withdraw from the Athens Olympics after their affair overshadowed the start of the Games, has said it reserves the right to investigate her eligibility for the Beijing Games.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said recently should the HOC enter Thanou as a team member, the IOC would examine her eligibility