The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on August 18 that no sanction would be taken against the two Greek runners for missing mandatory drug tests since they have surrendered their accreditations for the Athens Olympics.

Greek star sprinters Konstantinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou attended a hearing on Wednesday morning and have decided to give up running in the Games.

The IOC said that the athletes' decision means that "the IOC is no longer the authority responsible for issuing potential sanctions related to the Athens Olympic Games."

But the IOC said that they would request the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to take action, including possible sanctions, against the two athletes and other persons involved in the alleged doping violation.

The IOC would launch further investigation if the two athletes want to participate in future Games, according to the legal adviser to the disciplinary commission Francois Carrard.

"We have material and evidence which we think could have led to a sanction," said Carrard.

The two athletes' coach Christos Tzekos also surrendered his accreditation, and the IOC has asked the IAAF to take possible sanction against him.

"This sends a message that not only athletes but also their entourage are about to be investigated," said Carrard.

Olympic 200 meters champion Kenteris and his training partner Thanou both failed to attend doping tests last Thursday and should have attended a hearing set for last Friday.

But they suffered minor cuts and bruises in a motorcycle accident on Thursday night and were therefore admitted to the hospital. The IOC therefore postponed the hearing for two times to give the athletes a chance to defend themselves.

But Carrard told reporters that what happened to the motorcycle accident or why they stayed in the hospital for so long is not IOC' s concern.

Carrard said that the IOC Executive Board has approved unanimously the report by the disciplinary commission and would inform the IAAF of the decision as soon as possible.

The two runners were also accused of failing to attend another doping test before, but Carrard said that the alleged doping violations outside of the Games would be dealt with by the IAAF.