Drugs in sport: Kederis denies faking crash

Konstadinos Kederis, who will hear today if he and his fellow sprinter Ekaterina Thanou will face criminal charges in the wake of their suspension from the Athens Olympics, has broken a long silence to insist he never tried to evade drug testers.

Konstadinos Kederis, who will hear today if he and his fellow sprinter Ekaterina Thanou will face criminal charges in the wake of their suspension from the Athens Olympics, has broken a long silence to insist he never tried to evade drug testers.

The former Olympic champion at 200 metres denied faking a motorbike accident to avoid a test on the eve of the Games in August, and added that he would welcome going to court to clear his name. "If a decision is taken to have charges filed against me, I will accept it gladly," he told Greek TV. "A prosecution means that the case will be cleared. We'll see who's right and who isn't."

Kederis maintained "the accident did happen", and that he and his training partner were "injured and bleeding" when they were taken to hospital.

The pair could face misdemeanour charges for obstructing a doping test and making false statements thereafter. Their then coach, Christos Tsekos, could also face charges, as could doctors who treated them and "witnesses" to the accident.

Kederis claimed there were irregularities in the way Olympic officials tried to notify him about the proposed test on 12 August. "Why was I given only one hour to appear when the doping code states I should be given 24?" he asked, explaining that the 60-minute notice applies only if received in person by the athlete.