A Greek court yesterday found sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou guilty of making false statements to authorities over an alleged motorcycle accident just before the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The Sydney Olympic medalists had blamed the accident for missing a doping test on the eve of the Athens Games.

“The court finds that this accident never occurred,” judge Dimitris Lefkos said.

Kenteris and Thanou were not present when Lefkos read out the verdicts that also implicated the runners’ coach, six state hospital doctors who treated them after the alleged accident, and two witnesses.

The judge said the court found no mitigating circumstances for the runners and adjourned before announcing sentences.

The runners face a four-year prison sentence while coach Christos Tzekos faces a maximum of six years. They all have an automatic right to appeal and would not be jailed before that hearing.

Kenteris’ lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos angrily denounced the verdict in court.

“It is simply unbelievable to refuse any mitigating circumstances to Olympic champions. That is granted to drug dealers and felons,” he said. “And now we have this decision for two athletes as if they have not offered anything to the country. It is disgraceful and I am ashamed for my country.”

Tzekos was present when the verdict was read out and left shortly afterward without making any statement.