Opposition for John Coates in Australia

(ATR) Australia Olympic Committee President John Coates will face opposition for the first time in more than 25 years as president.

Coates, elected first in 1990, wants to serve a final term but he faces at least one challenger for the May 5 election.

Field hockey gold medalist Danielle Roche, 44, has declared for the AOC presidency. While praising the work of Coates, Roche says it’s time for a change at the AOC. Roche is critical of the $700,000+ that Coates receives for his work on behalf of the AOC. She says she would work without pay and that the money spent for Coates would be directed to funding sport. She is critical of the performance of Australia at recent Olympics, saying she wants the country to return to the top five of podium finishes.

"Every day I get up, I’m excited about what we can do for Australian athletes," Coates told Around the Rings in February as talk began that he would face opposition.

Coates acknowledges that his rift with John Wylie, the chairman of the Australian Sports Commission, which funds elite sport, was behind the talk of an opponent. Roche is a member of the ASC board, but media reports say she is not under Wylie’s influence.

"He hasn’t taken it personally. He respects Dani Roche, she’s been a supporter of his," AOC media chief Mike Tancred told reporters in Sydney Monday outside the headquarters of the AOC

"John Coates has devoted a lifetime to the Olympics Movement. He’s created a successful business, it’s a national Olympic committee that’s envied by national Olympic committees around the world," said Tancred.

"He has been looking for a successor for a number of years now, but he hasn’t found the right person yet. He’s not just going to be pushed aside by someone who suddenly wants to say to him ‘your days are up, see you later mate, go’," said Tancred.

Tancred defended the payment Coates receives as value for money.

"Other sporting leaders in Australia are getting paid way more than $700,000 per year. John Coates is a world leader in sports. He is highly respected. He brings a lot of corporate contributions through the door because he’s well connected. We’re getting John Coates really cheap," says Tancred, pointing to the $40 million raised by the IOC for Rio and a similar figure expected for the Tokyo Olympic team.

In addition to his AOC post, Coates wields influence as a vice president of the IOC, serving in some significant capacities. He is chair of the IOC Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Olympics. A lawyer by profession, Coates chairs the IOC Legal Affairs Commission. And along with the three other IOC vice presidents, Coates will study the possibility of the IOC awarding the 2024 and 2028 Olympics at the same time this year, with Paris getting one edition and Los Angeles the other.

Roche says if she is elected she would appoint Coates to an honorary position that would allow him to retain his IOC status. Coates was elected to the IOC in 1991 and is due to retire in three years when he reaches the IOC age limit of 70.

Other candidates could emerge for the AOC presidency. Nominations close April 5. Along with the president, the AOC will elect all the other members of the executive May 5.

Written by Ed Hula.

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