Cypriot athlete not considered positive in doping tests

Chairwoman of the Greek National Anti-Doping Council Chara Spiliotopoullou has stressed that the sample taken from a member of the Cypriot Olympic Team in Beijing is not considered to be positive and described it as a sample ''pending analytical result.''

Head of the Cypriot mission to the Beijing Olympic Games Alecos Spanos said any move by non-authorised persons could only cause harm.

Spiliotopoulou and Spanos were commenting on press reports that a Cypriot athlete had tested positive for doping.

According to the Cyprus Sports Writers’ Union representative Petros Hadjichristodoulou, who is covering the Olympic Games in Beijing, information had been leaked to the press and had been discussed by unauthorised persons, harming the Cypriot team and the good atmosphere, and creating false impressions.

Only the National Anti-Doping Committee should have been aware of the specific ''pending analytical result'' in order to secure the proper scientific management of the issue and ensure discretion regarding this matter.

Spiliotopoulou, whose service ran the tests on the Cypriot athlete, said ''the sample is not considered to be positive, it is informal,'' adding that ''scientifically we call it a pending analytical result and no athlete can be considered doped.''

She explained that in the case of a ''pending analytical result'' the athlete will be monitored and randomly tested over a period of three months.

As of July 27, doping control has passed on to the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).