China and South Korea have a fierce rivalry in short track speed skating.
Posted: Feb 14, 7:34p ET | Updated: Feb 14, 7:49p ET
Asian short track rivalry boils over: China had been filming South Korean practice before alleged incident in Vancouver
VANCOUVER (AFP) -- South Korea's short track head coach threw bottles of water at a Chinese team official as Asian rivalry in women's short track skating boiled over at the Winter Olympics, it was claimed on Sunday.
The Chinese was filming a South Korea training session from the stands, despite repeated protests from Korean coach, Choi Guang-Bok, who was standing on the ice at the Pacific Coliseum venue, eye witnesses said.
"Stop it," "Don't do that," Choi yelled before hurling a couple of bottles which hit seats below the Chinese cameraman, they added.
The Chinese team trained next in a 50-minute session, three days before the women's competition was to begin with the 500m in which China's defending Olympic and world champion Wang Meng is a strong favorite.
Wang, who prevented South Korean women from a gold medal monopoly at the 2006 Torino Games, took the overall, 500m and 1000m titles at last year's world championships.
"This is an Olympic venue. Filming or photography is permitted," China's head coach Li Yan told reporters. "We were just filming for analysis purposes. It's perfectly allowed."
The team's American assistant coach, Paul Marchese, said: "I think it's much ado about nothing. We smile and continue with our business."
"There's just a very, very strong rivalry between China and South Korea. That sort of showmanship might intimidate a lesser team, but it doesn't make a dent in China."
There was no immediate comment available from the Korean team.
At the 2009 Worlds, Wang beat South Korean Kim Min-Jung into second overall spot with teammate Zhou Yang third to win back-to-back titles.
The 24-year-old Chinese looks still more formidable in the absence of South Korean Jin Sun-Yu, who collected the 1000m, 1500m and 3000m relay golds in Torino.
Hampered by injury, Jin could not win a ticket to Vancouver.
"Our target is beat the South Korean team," Wang said.
"I am very confident. I am much stronger than four years ago, physically and mentally."
The sport became a full Olympic discipline in 1992 and China won their first short-track title in 2002, which was also the first-ever Winter Olympic gold for the Asian superpower.
The South Korean men remain as formidable as ever, winning the Olympics' first final, the 1500m on Saturday.
They swept all but one in Turin where American Apolo Anton Ohno won the 500m.
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