ATHENS - Star sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou were suspended Saturday from the Greek Olympic team for missing drug tests, a stunning blow to the Games' host nation.
Greek Olympic committee president Lambis Nikolaou said the board decided to remove the athletes until the International Olympic Committee made a final decision about their status.
The sprinters' coach, Christos Tsekos, a former nutritional supplements salesman, was also suspended.
The case has shamed Greece and overshadowed the opening of what was supposed to be a triumphant national showcase. Kenteris, the reigning Olympic 200-meter champion, is the country's most celebrated athlete. Thanou, the 100-meter silver medalist in Sydney four years ago, is his training partner.
Kenteris had been one of 12 candidates to light the flame at the Opening Ceremonies, local organizers said. They wouldn't say why Kenteris was not chosen. Nikolaos Kaklamanakis, a windsurfing champion at the Atlanta Games, lit the cauldron.
Tsekos said he and his runners hadn't broken any rules: "There is nothing for us to be afraid of."
Michalis Dimitrakopoulos, a lawyer representing all three, called the suspensions a "compromise" until an IOC hearing Monday. "There has been no violation of the doping regulations," he said.
Neither Kenteris nor Thanou has tested positive for drugs. But this was the third time since July they had missed a test, Olympic officials said, and the IOC is investigating whether they deliberately missed this one.
Making the situation worse for the sprinters, police are investigating a motorcycle accident the two said put them in the hospital Thursday night hours after drug testers failed to find them in the Olympic Village. They sustained minor cuts and bruises, and were to be released Monday.
Investigators have failed to find any signs that a crash took place, and officers who canvassed the neighborhood were unable to find witnesses who saw or heard a crash. Neither can police find the man the sprinters say drove them 18 miles to the hospital.
A disciplinary hearing scheduled for Friday about the missed test was postponed 72 hours because the two said they couldn't attend because of their injuries.
MORE DRUG NEWS: U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards' appeal of her two-year ban will be heard Monday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The result will determine whether the world 100 meter champion competes at the Games. Edwards tested positive for the stimulant nikethamide at an April meet in Martinique; she blamed a glucose supplement she took because she wasn't feeling well. She said she was unaware it contained the banned substance.
INJURY LIST: Two Brazilian players were taken to the hospital after getting hurt in their women's game against the United States. Forward Kellybroke her collarbone whe she collided with another player. Forward Elaine was treated and released for an unspecified injury to her midsection after a collision with American Lindsay Tarplay . Coach Rene Simoes said Elaine was fine.
TV RATINGS: Friday's Opening Ceremonies averaged 25.1-million viewers, down from the 27.3-million who watched Sydney's opening night, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 56-million who tuned in to at least part of the ceremony was identical to 2000's figure. Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics, called it a "nice beginning."
WHERE IS EVERYBODY? Hundreds of empty seats could been seen on TV coverage of some events. Michalis Zacharatos, an Athens organizing committee spokesman, said 2.8-million of the 5.3-million tickets available had been sold, accounting for 94 percent of the committee's revenue goal. That means the goal requires selling about 56 percent of the tickets. In Sydney, more than 80 percent of the 7.6-million tickets were sold. In 1996, Atlanta sold 9-million.
