The Australian Olympic Committee’s athletes’ commission says it will vote for John Coates in Saturday’s election if he agrees to review the president’s salary – he currently gets $715,000 a year.
The 11-person athletes’ commission released a statement saying: “In a non-unanimous majority decision, the commission voted to support the re-election of John Coates.”
Coates faces former Hockeyroo and Olympic gold medallist Danni Roche, who has pressed for a presidency salary review, in Saturday’s vote. The race looks tight, with reports suggesting Coates has begun contacting sports federations in a frantic bid to retain his presidency.
The AOC executive and national sports federations will vote after the athletes’ commission effectively told the AOC to live up to the Olympic ideals it expects of sportspeople.
“The AOC expects very high standards of athletes who represent Australia at the Olympic Games,” its statement said.
“And the athletes’ commission believes that the same high standards should be placed on employees, directors and contractors to the Australian Olympic Committee.”
The commission expressed support for the AOC’s recent investigations into alleged workplace bullying. And the commission, chaired by Steve Hooker, said Roche’s campaign - run on a need for rejuvenation within the AOC - had hit a nerve.
“Danni’s platform has raised a number of issues that we, as an athletes’ commission, and the broader athlete population, have passionate views on. The overwhelming response from the athlete population and alumni was that there is a desire for change. Opinions differed as to how this change should best be achieved.”
The commission said a succession plan for Coates should be made with an aim to “cultivate a number of candidates who the sports can vote on.
“This succession plan should involve John Coates sharing his knowledge and mentoring the next generation of leaders within the Australian Olympic family.”
The athletes have also reportedly thrown their support behind Melbourne’s Andrew Plympton (former St Kilda president) as vice-president, while Coates’s preference is for staunch supporters Ian Chesterman and Helen Brownless to be installed. Roche has not run with a ticket, and wants all positions to be elected freely.
Meanwhile, Olympian Mark Stockwell has labelled Coates and his rival John Wylie “as bad as each other” as he quit his role with the Australian Sports Commission, the government’s funding arm. Stockwell has resigned as deputy chairman after two years under the chairmanship of Wylie.
Three-time Olympic swimming medallist Stockwell said the battle for the AOC leadershiphad been harmful to Australian sport.
“I have been around for 30 years and this blip that’s happening at the moment (with the AOC election) is a distraction and a lot of people are going to get hurt by it,” he told News Corp Australia.
“I am more interested in the outcomes for sport and I want to focus on the real issues confronting sport and making sure the athletes get the best deal.”
Coates believes Roche’s challenge has been pushed by Wylie, with whom he has been openly feuding for years. Roche is an ASC board member, and was accused by Coates of being Wylie’s “puppet”.
“The big issues in sport aren’t being discussed and the Wylie-Coates thing is a distraction and I think both of them are as bad as each other,” Stockwell said.
