As if the financial woes in Greece weren’t already bad enough, the Greek Swimming Federation has just been ordered to pay a huge sum of money to former swimmer Tonia Machaira over her exclusion from the 2004 Olympics on the basis of a failed doping test, according to The Star. The only catch is that the failed doping test never happened, as the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that she did not fail the test.
The value of the Olympic experience? According to Greek courts, it’s 150,000 Euros ($193,800), hiked to 277,000 Euros ($357,800) when interest is factored in.
The courts found that the Greek federation suspected that Machaira had failed a test, and thus suspended her from her third Olympic Games. Machaira was primarily a 100 freestyler, having finished 25th at the 2000 Olympics.