New tests on crash bike as sprinters face IOC

Two Greek sprinters at the centre of a doping scandal were today fighting to save their careers as details emerged about the motorbike crash that put them in hospital for five days.

Kostas Kenteris and his training partner, silver medallist Katerina Thanou, arrived at a meeting with the International Olympic Committee to establish why they disappeared after failing to meet drug testers.

But as they faced the three-man panel who could, in effect, end Kenteris's career, Greek police revealed they were carrying out a forensic science examination of the motorcycle.

They are trying to discover how it was damaged after "contradictions" in the pair's statements. Kenteris said the accident happened because he was "a bag of nerves" after hearing that drug testers were waiting for them.

But another report said the bike skidded on a patch of oil. Detectives want to establish if the damage was the result of an earlier crash. Kenteris and Thanou left hospital yesterday with no apparent injuries. In an emotional outburst, Kenteris said: "I have never used banned substances."

The scandal is thought to be one factor behind poor local ticket sales.