18 Days in August, an Olympic Blog

While the way the doping test evasion of Kenteris and Thanou happened was a shock to everyone here, most people had thought about the peculiarities in these athletes' behaviour for a while. I think what most people are upset about is not so much the test evasion but the actual amateurish and intelligence-imsulting way the whole story has been orchestrated; from the half-truths about how they were injured to the constantly changing stories about their condition to the desperate attempts to present them as victims of an international conspiracy, the whole affair is sordid and has cast a grim shadow upon the proceedings today. There are few people left here who believe these two can continue to compete for Greece under these circumstances, and if the media is any indication at least most people want to see them and those who protect them punished severely for besmirching the good name of the country. However, the games will go on and the opening ceremony is highly anticipated; the doping scandal will hopefully be swiftly dealt with after calmer voices have prevailed and the rather pathetic attempts at denying the painfully obvious have been rightfully retired.