ATHLETICS: Thanou may face hearing
Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou will face a fresh disciplinary procedure if she is included in the squad for the Beijing Olympics, the IOC have said.
Thanou previously served a two-year ban for missing anti-doping tests in the run-up to the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau said: "Should she be on the final list, the IOC would launch a new procedure to review her eligibility for Beijing."
Asafa to retain focus
Asafa Powell insists the absence of Tyson Gay will make no difference to his plans to produce a fast time at the Aviva London Grand Prix on Friday.
Powell, who clocked a season's best of 9.88sec in Stockholm on Tuesday to defeat fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt, is itching to maintain his recent form.
He said: "Tyson not running makes no difference to me. If someone is better than you, hiding from them won't help."
No steeplechase for Saif
World 3000m steeplechase record holder Saif Shaheen has given up his race to be ready for the Olympics.
The 2003 and 2005 world champion from Qatar missed last season due to knee and Achilles tendon injuries, and does not feel prepared to put two races together in three days in Beijing.
The Kenya-born star missed the last Olympics after switching nationality and rendering himself ineligible.