CAA, Ma on warpath

BEIJING, AUG 11: The World Athletics Championships are set to become a new battle ground between supercoach Ma Junren and the Chinese spo...

BEIJING, AUG 11: The World Athletics Championships are set to become a new battle ground between supercoach Ma Junren and the Chinese sports establishment, even though his runners will not be there.

Wrangling between the two sides came out into open again today when state media raised suspicions that Ma was seeking to humiliate the Chinese Athletics Association CAA by keeping his runners away from the Seville Championships which start on August 21.

Without the army of middle and long-distance runners, China has had to downgrade its expectations to a single medal at the event.

Ma8217;s army returned to track this year following an 18-month standoff with CAA. But only one of 10 runners, Dong Yanmei, qualified for the Chinese Grand Prix finals in Shanghai. She finished seventh.

The Grand Prix was China8217;s qualifying event for international events such as the World Championships.

8220;Perhaps, Ma does not want to take part in the World Championships. Like 1997, he is resting his runners in a bid to make asurprise in the National City Games in September,8221; said CAA general secretary Shang Xiutang.

Ma8217;s army stunned everyone in 1993 when Wang Junxia and his other runners 8212; fuelled by a concoction including fresh turtle8217;s blood 8212; dominated the World Championships in Stuttgart with three gold medals.

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Wang later led a split with Ma over prize money from Stuttgart. And the chain smoking coach has been at loggerheads with the CAA since 1997 after refusing to send his runners to the World Championships in Athens.

Just months later, at the Chinese National Games, two Ma proteges, Jiang Bo and Dong Yaanmei, both broke the world women8217;s 5,000m record.

Last year, Ma angered CAA by refusing to let his runners compete on the National Grand Prix Circuit, which were the qualifiers for the Bangkok Asian Games last December.

CAA refused to give Ma8217;s runners special dispensation to compete in Bangkok and Ma was furious.

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8220;Analysts say that Ma hopes to embarrass CAA officials by watching them experience anothermedal-free World Championships but break world records again in a home meet,8221; the official Xinhua news agency said.

Reports have also indicated Ma is still fuming over being denied a chance to compete in last year8217;s Asian Games. But in one of his rare public declarations, the coach recently warned that his runners would be looking for records at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

8220;Forget Ma8217;s family army, forget the three gold medals they won at Stuttgart in 1993,8221; said the official agency in a sign of the frosty relations.

And with Ma still on the sidelines, CAA officials say they will be happy with winning a single medal in Seville, where China is sending 12 men and 21 women.

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China8217;s main hope is Liu Hongyu, women8217;s 20 km walk World Cup champion, and her team-mates Wang Yen, 1996 Olympic bronze medallist in 10 km, and former 10 km champion Gao Hongmiao.

Asian Games gold medallist in the men8217;s 20 km walk, Yuguohui, is also a medal hopeful.

After Wang, Qiu Yunxia and Liu Dong won their races inStuttgart, China failed to win a title at the 1995 and 1997 World Championships.