- Ekaterini Thanou
Ekaterini ("Katerina") Thanou ( _el. Αικατερίνη (Κατερίνα) Θάνου, IPA2|ekateˈrini ˈθanu, born
February 1 ,1975 ) is a Greeksprinter .Thanou won the silver medal in the women's 100 m at the
2000 Olympic Games inSydney . WithMarion Jones admitting to steroid use prior to and during the Sydney Olympics and having her gold medal withdrawn by theInternational Olympic Committee , Thanou may have her silver medal upgraded to gold despite her own controversial past.In 2002 she won the 100 m gold medal at the European Championships in
Munich .Suspension
For the
2004 Summer Olympics , Thanou was one of the main hopes of the home crowd for winning an athletics medal. However, on the day prior to the opening ceremony, Thanou and her training partnerKonstantinos Kenteris failed to attend a drugs test, and later the same night were hospitalised, claiming they had both been injured in amotorcycle accident . In the ensuing doping scandal, Kenteris and Thanou announced their withdrawal from the Games onAugust 18 after a hearing before the Disciplinary Commission of theIOC , for what they described to be "in the interests of the country." An official Greek investigation into their alleged accident, ruled that it had been staged.The missed test in Athens was the duo's third violation of the summer and they were consequently provisionally suspended by the
IAAF on22 December 2004 . In June 2005, however, the athletes were cleared of all charges by the Greek athletics federation. Their coachChristos Tsekos was blamed for the missed tests and suspended for four years, but was cleared on separate allegations of distributing banned substances. After a long legal battle, on26 June 2006 prior to a final ruling by theCourt of Arbitration for Sport , the athletes reached an out of court settlement with the IAAF accepting anti-doping rule violations of 3 missed tests between27 July and12 August 2004 (in breach of Rule 32.2(d)) and a failure to provide a urine and a blood sample on12 August 2004 (in breach of Rule 32.2(c)). In return, the more serious charges against them, those of evasion and refusal to provide a sample, were dropped.cite news | BBC Sport | title= Sprint duo drop drugs ban appeals | date=2006-06-26 | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/5118074.stm | work =BBC Sport | accessdate = 2008-01-12] They have been eligible to compete since22 December 2006 .Return from suspension
On her return to international competition at the
European Indoor Athletics Championships inBirmingham, England , she was booed by the crowds before finishing 6th in the final.Following the revelations about
Marion Jones 's use of steroids, Thanou, who finished 2nd behind Jones in the 100m atSydney 2000 , is in line to be awarded the American's gold medal. Due to Thanou's own tainted record theIOC have been reviewing their legal options to punish Jones without rewarding Thanou. Certain circles have applauded this approach while others have been harshly critical.cite news | first=Christopher | last=Galakoutis | title= IOC considering immoral actions for ‘moral’ reasons | date=2007-11-25 | url =http://www.hellenicathletes.com/news.php?news_id=377 | work =HellenicAthletes.com | accessdate = 2008-01-12] . On Thanou's demands that she be awarded Marion Jones’ gold medal the IOC in a meeting during the Beijing Olympics has decided to postpone to examine her request.Thanou was provisionally selected by the Hellenic Olympic Committee to compete at the
2008 Olympics inBejing . However, as she had not achieved the Olympic 'A' standard (11.32 seconds), if another Greek woman had achieved this, she would have been forced off of the team. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/athletics/7507421.stm Greece name Thanou for Olympics] ]However, all of this became moot on August 09, 2008, when the executive board of the IOC decided to bar Thanou from competing under rule 23.2.1 of the Olympic charter. This rule allows the banning of athletes who are thought to be guilty of improper conduct or bringing the games into disrepute. [ [http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=5549645 Thanou Barred From Beijing Olympics] , AP through ABC News] [ [http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/full_story_uk.asp?id=2708 Decision in the case of Ms Ekaterini Thanou's participation in the 2008 Beijing Games] , IOC press release] .Thanou claimed that she faced "intense pressure" to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics, four years after being involved in a major doping controversy at the Athens Games. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/athletics/thanou-feels-pressure-to-withdraw/2008/08/02/1217097586160.html] .The decision may lead to a messy legal battle. Thanou, who qualified for the Beijing Games, had threatened to sue Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, if she was denied permission to participate.
Personal bests
Outdoor
References
External links
* [http://www.thanou.gr/news_en.asp Official website]
ee also
*
List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
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