LONDON, July 21, 2008 (AFP) - The International Olympic Committee could be facing another battle with controversial Greek sprinter Ekaterina Thanou if she is barred from competing at next months' Olympic Games in Beijing her lawyer told the BBC on Monday.

The 33-year-old - who along with then training partner Kostadinos Kenteris missed the 2004 edition after failing to turn up for a drugs test on the eve of the Games and then said they had been involved in a motorbike crash - has been selected in the Greek team.

But IOC president Jacques Rogge is threatening to prevent her taking part because of what happened in 2004.

Gregory Ioannidis, Thanou's lawyer, told BBC Sport this would constitute 'an abuse of power' and a 'violation of human rights'.

'Katerina has told me she would like to compete in Beijing and it is my belief that she will do so,' he said.

'Those who advocate to the contrary must produce a compelling justification and not simply empty rhetoric.

'An attempt to exclude her would constitute an abuse of power, violation of the Olympic Charter and violation of human rights and other certain established principles of law.'

As a result of missing the dope test both Thanou, who has received the 100m silver medal from the 2001 world championships after Marion Jones was stripped of it and is in line to inherit Jones' Olympic gold medal from 2000, and Kenteris were suspended for two years because it was the third time they had missed tests - the suspension ended in 2006.

They are still facing criminal charges of perjury and falsifying evidence in Greece following the motorcycle accident.

The IOC set up a disciplinary commission to investigate the incidents involving them.

Thanou and Kenteris turned up to simply surrender their Olympic accreditation, which meant the IOC no longer had jurisdiction over the case.

However, the IOC did at the time issue a press release which stated 'that any participation of Kenteris and Thanou... at any further edition of the Olympic Games shall be subject to a new procedure in front of the IOC'.

This has led Rogge to suggest he could block Thanou from competing in Beijing.

The matter is set to be discussed by the IOC's executive board on August 2nd and 3rd.