Athens: Greek national sporting heroes and doping suspects Kostadinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou quit the Olympic Games on Wednesday (Aug 18, 2004) after leaving an IOC hearing into their missed drugs test.

Kenteris, the Olympic 200m champion from the 2000 Games in Sydney, insisted he was innocent of any wrongdoing but said he was walking out on the Olympics in the interests of Greece.

"I categorically declare that I was never informed or told to present myself for a doping control in the Olympic village," said the 31-year-old.

"During the last four years, I've passed more than 30 controls that never resulted in any problems.

"But in the interests of the country I am withdrawing from the Games and I also announce the end of my cooperation with my coach Christos Tzekos."

However, the duo's problems haven't ended yet.

Athletics governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is to hold a hearing on August 26 at their council meeting into the three occasions since July where they failed to attend drug tests.

They risk being banned from the sport for a year.

The duo's lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos said that while the procedure could have been drawn out even further, the duo had taken their decision in order to avoid the Olympics being further damaged by the controversy.

Kenteris and training partner Thanou, the women's 100m silver medallist from the 2000 Olympics, had been before the IOC Disciplinary Commission over missing a mandatory drugs test last Thursday.