‘It should not have been said’: Scott Morrison’s blunt view of Olympics threat

Stunning details of Scott Morrison’s direct intervention following a threat to withdraw Federal cash for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games have been revealed.

Unity on the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games “has not fallen apart”, according to Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, who revealed stunning details of a frank phone call he received from Scott Morrison in the wake of a threat to pull Federal funding.

Just months after Brisbane won the Games bid on a unity ticket between three levels of government, conflict has grown between the state and Commonwealth.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates says unity on the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games has not fallen apart. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

The Prime Minister’s special envoy on the Olympic Games Ted O’Brien threatened the Federal Government could walk away its $5 billion funding pledge over fears Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk would attempt a grab for control over the independent organising committee – claims the Premier has rejected.

Mr Coates on Wednesday revealed stunning new details of the spat, telling the National Press Club that he received a call from Mr Morrison the morning the story broke in The Courier-Mail.

“Saturday morning, the Prime Minister rang me, and said I want to assure you, John, that what was said should not have been said, and we’re working very closely together as the two governments conclude this legislation,” Mr Coates said.

“It hasn’t fallen apart.”

Draft legislation to set up the Olympics organising committee indicated that nine of the 22 committee directors would be chosen by Ms Palaszczuk through her role as Premier and Olympics Minister – compared to just four from Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Mr Coates said Ms Palaszczuk had consulted him on whether or not she should take on the position of Minister the Olympics, and he advised her that she should.

He said it would be up to the Prime Minister whether he appointed a Minister directly responsible for the 2032 Olympics.

Conflict seen between the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Federal Government could be avoided this time due to frameworks being put in place and agreements on operating costs, Mr Coates said.

“We won (the bid) because we had a good project, a very good project that we presented to the IOC,” he said.

“When we presented it, we were able to present it as a group where the state government, the federal government, the city council, and the Olympic Committee and the Paralympic committee were all in uniformity.

“There is a framework and we‘re going through that at the moment.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison reportedly called AOC president John Coates following a threat to pull funding for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. Picture: Gary Ramage / NCA NewsWire

Despite growing tensions between China and many western countries including Australia, as well as humanitarian issues around mistreatment of the Uyghur population, Mr Coates strongly argued against any boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

“The Games are proceeding amid some low level speculation regarding boycotts, and sanctions,” he said.

“In our fragile world, the power of sport to bring the world together, despite all the existing differences, gives us all hope for a better future.

“(International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said) expressing a boycott of the Olympics has never achieved anything. I agree.”

But he said the IOC would be watching Afghanistan closely regarding its involvement in the Olympics, particularly following statements from the Taliban that women’s sport was “neither appropriate or necessary”.