THE saga involving Liu Guodong and the Singapore Table Tennis Association looks set to rumble on, after the ex-national head coach rejected what he claimed was a draft statement of clarification from the STTA on Sunday.

This, just two days after both sides expressed hope that their dispute could be settled amicably.

In the latest twist, Liu has hit out at the association over the statement, which he claimed was given to him by STTA officials after a meeting on Saturday night.

The unsigned document - which was written in English and had no letterhead - was supposed to be a draft of a joint statement from the STTA and Liu, he said.

The 35-year-old was angered by the contents, which he described as unacceptable. Speaking to the press at his hotel lobby on Sunday, he said:

'I don't even understand English, yet they gave me a document in English. What they read to me and the translation I got later from a friend was different.'

The STTA could not be reached to verify the contents of the draft statement. Calls to STTA chief executive Chew Soo Sheng and honorary secretary Soon Min Sin, who attended the meetings with Liu, went unanswered yesterday.

The draft - which Liu showed reporters later - highlighted that the association recognised his role in leading the women's table tennis team to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.

It also said that recent comments by STTA president Lee Bee Wah were not intended to diminish his contributions, nor were they meant to suggest his dishonesty during his time here as head coach.

But the Henan native was upset with part of the draft, which said the association had the right to choose whom to nominate for Coach of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards, and stood by its decision not to nominate him.

Read the full story in The Straits Times today.

Additional reporting by May Chen