/ AP Photo/Newsports, Nikos Chalkiopoulos
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The Greek Olympic Committee will exclude athletes that have served a doping ban from future Olympic torch relays.
The move comes following criticism from the International Olympic Committee over the participation of banned hurdler Fani Halkia in the Vancouver flame relay last week.
The HOC says it "has decided ... that an athlete who has been disciplined for the use of banned substances be banned from carrying the (Olympic Flame) for life."
Halkia, the 2004 Olympic 400-meter hurdles champion, was expelled from the 2008 Beijing Games after testing positive for anabolic steroid. The IOC called the inclusion of Halkia in the recent torch relay "inappropriate and a regrettable mistake."
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