Sir Mo Farah 'kicked and hit' female athlete in hotel gym, claims Haile Gebrselassie

Distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie has told Sky News that Sir Mo Farah "kicked and hit" a female athlete during a dispute at a hotel gym in Ethiopia.

Four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo has been accused of behaving badly while he was staying at the Yaya Village resort, in Ethiopia, on a high-altitude training camp.

But the 36-year-old strenuously denies the allegation.

Gebrselassie is a former marathon world record holder who owns the Yaya Village hotel.

He said: "Mo got into an argument with the husband while he was in the gym and he was hitting and kicking him and then the wife tried to intervene.

"She ended up getting hit and kicked. A complaint was made to the police. The police showed up at the hotel at about 10pm and I was called by the hotel manager.

"I spoke to the police and I was saying 'Mo is good, it is good to have him in Ethiopia, it is good that he comes here'.

"I managed to mediate between them and the police didn't end up speaking to Mo himself."

The new detail adds to what is already an astonishing row between Sir Mo and Gebrselassie.

A spokesperson for the British athlete said: "As stated already Mo disputes Haile Gebrselassie's claims. There was an incident at the gym a number of weeks ago, at which Haile was not present but it was categorically not of Mo's making.

"He immediately raised a complaint to the highest level within the police force. The individuals concerned were warned that any further threatening behaviour towards Mo would result in police action. This incident highlights again the failure by hotel management to take safety seriously."

Sir Mo's team also previously refuted the suggestion he attacked a "married athlete".

The dispute between Sir Mo and Gebrselassie, who had previously been friends and running rivals, was made public as Sir Mo held court at a press conference to publicise this weekend's London Marathon.

He revealed that a luxury watch and more than £2,500 - in four different currencies - had been stolen from his suitcase inside a room at the Yaya Village hotel in the hills outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

He claimed Gebrselassie did not do enough to try to track down the culprits. "I just want him to take responsibility of getting my stuff back," Sir Mo said.

But Gebrselassie hit back by claiming that five of his own staff members were held in police custody, but were released without charge.

The former marathon world record holder made several astonishing claims centring on Sir Mo's three-month stay in Ethiopia, a trip similar to ones he has made for the past five years.

Gebrselassie said Sir Mo and another athlete had a row in the hotel's gym.

In a statement, he added: "There were multiple reports of disgraceful conduct, which was not expected from a person of his calibre, and his entourage during his stay, by the hotel staff."

Gebrselassie went on to claim: "He was reported to the police for attacking (a) married athlete in the gym."

He added: "But due to my mediation role, the criminal charge was able to be dropped."

In a previous response, a spokeswoman for Sir Mo said: "Mo is disappointed with this statement and the continued reluctance by the hotel and its owner to take responsibility for this robbery.

"Mo disputes all of these claims which are an effort to distract from the situation, where members of his hotel staff used a room key and stole money and items from Mo Farah's room."

Sir Mo, who said he was feeling confident ahead of Sunday's marathon, claimed Gebrselassie had ignored his texts in the weeks following his departure from Ethiopia.

He said: "It's a hotel's responsibility to be able to get it back. I sent Haile a message to tell him what had happened but he didn't reply. He didn't say anything. He didn't respond even though that's his hotel.

"I don't care about the money but the watch was sentimental - it can't be replaced. It's a TAG watch my wife bought me as a present for our anniversary."

But Sky News spoke to Gebrselassie on Wednesday night and the Ethiopian said he felt "harassed" by Sir Mo.

He also said the London 2012 hero had left without paying his service bill of $3,000 (£2,300), despite being given a 50% discount.

The row is certain to dominate the build up to Sunday's marathon where Sir Mo will battle against strong favourite and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.