Chinese weightlifting champion Zhang Guozheng is at the centre of a battle between two provinces hoping to cash in on the Olympic gold medalist's potential success at next year's Beijing Games.

In China, where sporting achievements are linked to state grants and often the political prospects of government officials, provinces fight hard for champions' services.

Zhang, who took gold in Athens in 2004, had his training regime disrupted by a bureaucratic dispute between Yunnan and Shanxi provinces, each claiming the athlete as their own.

"I am almost devastated. I just want it to be sorted out as soon as possible," Zhang said.

Earlier this year, Zhang, an athlete registered with China's southwestern Yunnan province since 1995, switched to northern Shanxi province, claiming the Yunnan administration had dumped him during a spell of poor form after his Athens Olympics triumph.