Athens Olympic gold medalist Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia on Tuesday refused to comment on the amicable stance taken by his rival Lin Dan, the world's number one men's singles player.

"I don't know," replied Taufik when asked what he thought about Lin's recent remarks that he respected Taufik and wanted to establish friendship with him.

"He speaks mandarin and I speak English. I never spoke to him," Taufik said after training for the upcoming Olympic Games in the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium.

Lin Dan blamed the media for "sowing discord" between Taufik and him in an essay on the Chinese newspaper Titan Weekly, but admitted, "We were not as friendly to each other as to other players."

Lin, the top seed at the Athens Games but lost his first game, said he aimed to win the Olympic title in Beijing.

"I hope to win the gold, and this will be the last time for me to play in Olympic Games," said Taufik who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Sunday.

"Lin Dan, Lee Chongwei, Gade and I all have the chances to win the gold, and it depends on how we play on the court," Taufik said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2008)