Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou has been banned from competing at the Beijing Olympics by the IOC for her role in the drug-testing scandal at the Athens Games four years ago.

Thanou and fellow Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris missed doping tests on the eve of the 2004 opening ceremony, claiming they were injured in a motorcycle accident.

The pair eventually withdrew from the games and returned their Olympic accreditations. The IOC did not sanction them at the time but they were later suspended for two years by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

R