Names of the male and female athletes were not released pending confirmation of the March 7 out-of-competition tests.

Iakovou, 60, is one of Greece's most successful coaches with his athletes winning five Olympic gold medals, along with five silver and two bronze, since the 1992 Barcelona Games.

"National coach Christos Iakovou ... offered his resignation to the governing board of the Greek Weightlifting Federation," the federation said in a statement. "The governing board has suspended Mr. Iakovou until light is shed on the case."

The federation said the unscheduled tests were conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency on orders of the International Weightlifting Federation.

"If the results are confirmed, this would be a black page in the bright history of weightlifting," IWF general secretary Yannis Sgouros said in a statement. "But this would not cancel the golden (successes) that Greece has enjoyed in weightlifting in recent years."

Greece's state-run NET television said the 11 athletes were all from the 14-member national team — making it uncertain whether Greece can compete in weightlifting at the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.

Officials at the Greek federation and sports ministry could not be reached to confirm the report or make further comment.

Sports minister Yiannis Ioannidis summoned the leaders of Greece's main sporting federations to an emergency meeting Monday.

"We are waiting for the secondary test results ... I cannot comment on which substances the athletes were allegedly taking because the case is ongoing and I can't say anything," Ioannidis said. "We have no reason to have any suspicion regarding athletes who brought the country glory in the past.

"This is a very unpleasant development ... they are nearly all members of the Olympic team."

The emerging scandal is the worst to affect Greek sport since sprinters Katerina Thanou and Costas Kenteris missed a doping test on the eve of the 2004 Athens Olympics and later received two-year bans.

The pair, who pulled out of the Athens Games, were charged with perjury after claiming they missed the tests because they were involved in a motorcycle accident.

Kenteris won the 200-meter race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while Thanou won silver in the 100.

Voula Patoulidou, who won gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the Barcelona Olympics, said she was concerned the doping allegations could discourage young Greeks from taking part in competitive sport.

"This isn't just bad news," she said. "It could be the tombstone of Greek sport."

Enlarge AFP/Getty Images Christos Iakovou, the Greek weightlifting coach, was suspended after a number of his athletes tested positive for banned substances this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Iconocast is about learning and teaching without borders; we offer eMarketing, Internet Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Online Branding, and eMarketing News Services.

Iconocast Home Page

Contact Iconocast

Iconocast Health Articles

© 2003-07. ICONOCAST is a trademark of iconocast.com.