EXCLUSIVE: IOC Career Over If Coates Loses Australian Post

(ATR) Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates can stake his IOC career on winning reelection May 6.

In an interview this week with Around the Rings, President Thomas Bach did not take any sides in the battle between Coates and Danni Roche, his first challenger since taking office in 1990.

Bach appeared to rule out the possibility that Coates could keep his IOC posts if he is defeated but is named honorary president of the AOC. A resolution to do just that is included on the agenda of the May 6 Annual General Meeting of the AOC in Sydney.

"I think it would not be fair to discuss this question related to the reelection of John Coates. This could give a wrong impression but you know the rules of the IOC in this. These kind of questions have to be addressed beforehand and not one week before an election," Bach told ATR.

The entire interview with Bach is available here.

Bach listed the posts held by Coates, who was named an IOC member in 2001 by virtue of his presidency of the AOC. He holds one of 15 IOC seats reserved for NOC leaders.

"It is the role of John Coates and the important role he is playing in the IOC and the Olympic Movement is obvious," said Bach, laying out what would be lost if he is ousted from his AOC position.

"He’s the first vice president of the IOC and the chair of the very important CoComm for Tokyo 2020. Now in his capacity as first vice president, he’s also the chair of the working group of the IOC Executive Board to look into the candidature procedure.

"If you add to this then his presidency of the Court for Arbitration of Sport. You know which important role he is playing there on the international level for Australia but also the entire Olympic Movement," Bach pointed out.

Named an IOC member in 2001, by virtue of his presidency of the AOC, Coates holds one of 15 seats reserved for NOC leaders. IOC spokesman Mark Adams says that without the AOC presidency, the IOC duties for Coates would come to a screeching halt.

"I can confirm his membership is related to his position in the AOC and he would lose all functions if he lost that position," Adams tells ATR.

The link between the AOC presidency and IOC membership has come into play in Russia, stalling plans by Vladimir Putin to elevate Russia NOC president and IOC member Alexander Zhukov to a high post in the government, giving up the NOC position,

ATR is told that inquiries to the IOC following that announcement by Putin have confirmed to the Russians that should Zhukov vacate the Russian NOC presidency, he would have to relinquish his IOC status. That would include his chairmanship of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Beijing 2022 Olympics.

In the year since Putin declared the sports leadership shakeup in Russia, Zhukov remains NOC president with no talk of change.

Written by Ed Hula.

25 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.