Australian Olympic Committee rocked by ex-employee’s bullying claims

A FORMER Australian Olympic Committee staffer claims the organisation has been repeatedly undermined by a long history of bullying which has continued unchecked by senior management.

Australian Olympic Committee media and communications manager Mike Tancred is at the centre of bullying claims.

A FORMER Australian Olympic Committee staffer claims the organisation has been repeatedly undermined by a long history of bullying which has continued unchecked by senior management.

Ryan Wells last night accused media and communications manager Mike Tancred of repeatedly acting in a manner “unbecoming of the AOC” as John Coates fights to save his presidency.

Wells claimed Tancred threatened to kill him in Athens in 2004, saying “there has been a long history of bullying” at the AOC.

Wells was sacked soon after raising the issue.

The accusations against Tancred could potentially wreck Coates’ prospects of withstanding 1996 Atlanta hockey gold medallist Danni Roche’s challenge for his job next week.

Tancred is a Coates loyalist, having worked closely with Australia’s top Games official since 1999.

Wells demanded the NSW minister in charge of workplace relations, Matt Kean, investigate the allegations against Coates amid claims there could be as many as six historic bullying incidents involving AOC staff.

“In the lead-up to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Mike approached me, came up to my desk, and stood over me about 60cm from my desk and threatened to kill me.” Wells said.

The claim against Tancred, made on ABC radio program The Ticket, is believed to have alarmed the AOC executive in the wake of highly respected chief executive Fiona de Jong’s sudden resignation last year.

At the time of her departure, de Jong said she was leaving for family reasons.

Last week, she revealed she felt threatened by Tancred’s language toward her after ­deciding to walk away from her $450,000-a-year position.

The Herald Sun was told last night the stand-off between Coates’ allies and opponents is now “toxic”.

Coates, 66, next week faces the first challenge to his 27-year presidency when Australia’s 40 Olympic sport feder­ations meet in Sydney to vote. He is under pressure to keep his job as the AOC buckles in the face of the controversies.