BEIJING // The president of Greece's Olympic Committee said yesterday that organised doping was behind a recent spate of positive drug tests on his nation's athletes. Minos Kyriakou stopped short of making a direct accusation as to who could be behind a system of doping, but said the state must crack down on the practice. "I am neither a policeman nor a detective nor a judge," he said.
"I don't have that knowledge, and I think that the time has come for the state to [do something] and find a solution. And I believe they do want to. "This is the strangest thing, because it leads to the conclusion that there is an organised effort." The athletes - 11 weightlifters, three runners and a swimmer - all tested positive for methyltrienolone, a banned steroid. The reigning women's 400-metre hurdles champion Fani Halkia was sent home on Sunday, hours before her scheduled heats, after testing positive. Her test was conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency at a Greek team training camp on Aug 10.
* AP
