15 August 2004	Sunday	28 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

ATHENS, Aug 14: Olympic ticket sales have hit a sudden slump, Games officials said on Saturday, but it was unclear how far that was a reaction to possible doping bans for Greece's two best athletes, the main draws for the home crowd.

After daily sales close to 90,000 through the week, barely a third that number were sold on Friday, one Greek official said, adding that a public holiday contributed to crimping sales.

"On Friday, we sold 33,000 tickets. But the banks that sell tickets were also shut so that is why the figure is lower," a Games official said. Previous daily sales through other outlets at weekends have averaged about 40,000 in recent weeks, however.

The official declined comment on whether the scandal over Olympic 200 metres champion Costas Kenteris and Sydney 100 metres silver medallist Katerina Thanou might be to blame.

Greek Olympic officials temporarily suspended them from the Games on Saturday but said an International Olympic Committee disciplinary hearing on Monday would ultimately determine whether they can compete in next week's athletics competition.

Greeks were stunned and angry when the pair, who train under the same coach, missed a drugs test on Thursday and were then taken to hospital after a mysterious motorcycle accident.

After a slow build-up in previous months, with daily sales averaging about 4,000, sceptical Greeks had lately begun to form long queues at Athens ticket stands, pleasing organisers who had feared empty venues. But on Saturday there were few extensive lines to be seen at ticket windows.

Organisers have sold just over half of the 5.2 million tickets available and had hoped growing demand would help them reach a 3.4-million target by the start of the Games.

But on Saturday's first day of competition they were still 600,000 short: "The total number of sales now stands at 2.8 million tickets," a second Games official said.-Reuters