Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell looks on at the end of the flag-raising ceremony at the Olympic village in Beijing. - AP

THE JAMAICA Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) has rubbished claims made by MVP's head coach, Stephen Francis, that the association wanted his athletes to fail.

Last week, news broke of friction between the JAAA and MVP club over the latter's members' attendance at Jamaica's pre-Olympic training camp in Tianjin, China.

At the time, MVP president, Bruce James, said his group, which boasts about 10 per cent of Jamaica's squad, had requested more time for its athletes to join the camp which started on August 3.

Meanwhile, Francis said: "The way that the JAAA is forcing us to prepare for the Olympics is not what we had in mind. We don't believe this is the ideal preparation.

"I guess because they want to ensure that the athletes who I coach don't do well, they decided to come up with this camp and this mandatory thing. I guess they know that the preparation I have in mind doesn't involve a camp, so I guess there's a debate."

No truth

However, in a statement released yesterday, the JAAA said: "There is absolutely no truth to the allegations that Mr Stephen Francis will not be able to coach the athletes at the Olympics under his care, unless he has taken that decision not to coach his own athletes".

Francis also said he believed the camp was only set up after the association heard of his plans earlier this year, and to ensure that his athletes did not do well.

"They put on this camp only after hearing in February that we were planning to have our own," he was quoted as saying on the World-Track.org website.

The JAAA also flatly denied that accusation.

"Since 2007, arrangements were made for a training camp prior to the Beijing Olympics. Training camps were held in 2004 for the Athens Olympics, 2000 for the Sydney Olympics and 1996 for the Atlanta Olympics. This tradition started in 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics. A training camp was held in Osaka, Japan, prior to the World Championships in 2007," the release said.

"Training camps have been mandatory and this information was available to all persons associated with track and field (including Mr Stephen Francis) and any doubt/uncertainty could have been clarified by contacting any member of the JAAA executive. The suggestion that our training camp was belatedly undertaken to 'obstruct' Mr Stephen Francis' own camp cannot be substantiated."

Accreditation

The JAAA was also accused of keeping Francis away from his athletes, but again, the statement rebutted that claim.

"Mr Stephen Francis had long indicated to the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (past and present) that he does not wish to be a part of the national team's coaching staff.

"He was accredited as a personal coach for the athletes under his care for the Olympic Games, as was the case in all major championships, including the World Championships in 2005 and 2007," said the statement, which also stated only three personal coaches are allowed.

Francis, the statement said: "refused to accept (his accre-ditation) from our ambassador to China, Mr Wayne McCook, when members of his group and other athletes were met at the Beijing airport on August 1, 2008".

It said Francis was one of three accredited personal coaches. Veronica Campbell-Brown's coach, Lance Brauman, and Jerry Clayton, the coach of Maurice Smith, were the others accredited, while the coaches for Kerron Stewart and Delloreen Ennis-London were denied.

Additional persons

However, according to the JAAA's statement, although only three personal coaches/assistants are allowed, MVP, through its president, James, in an email dated July 2, requested additional persons.

"In order of 'importance', Mr Gavin James' name was given as the most critical," the statement added. "The JOA was unable to secure an increase in our complement for persons in this category and Mr Gavin James of MVP and Mr Everald Edwards (Usain Bolt's masseur) were treated as members of our official team to facilitate their being accredited to provide the services of massage therapists.

"They were, therefore, accrued full benefits, such as living at the camp/Olympic Village, meals and access to the stadium," the statement said.