Danni Roche looking to topple John Coates as president of the Australian Olympic Committee

JOHN Coates’ leadership of the Australian Olympic Committee will be tested by Hockeyroos gold medallist Danni Roche, who’s promising to cap her salary at $100,000 if she’s elected president

Danni Roche will run for AOC presidency

JOHN Coates’ leadership of the Australian Olympic Committee will be tested by Hockeyroos gold medallist Danni Roche, who’s promising to work for nothing if she’s elected president.

Roche, who took gold at the 1996 Atlanta Games, will seek to topple long-time AOC boss Coates in a bid to return Australia to the top-five Olympic nations. “My first savings measure will be to reduce the president’s salary package to up to $100,000 a year,” Roche said in a statement.

“I will personally waive this for the length of my term.

John Coates has been AOC president since 1990

“It will save about $3 million over the next four years alone.” The move would contribute to Roche’s plan to cut 30 per cent of the AOC’s spend on administration, marketing and compensation and shift the savings to funding for sports.

Coates, who’s held his position since 1990, has a reported salary of more than $700,000.

He is also a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.

Roche has held a number of positions in sports administration, including sitting on the boards of the Australian Sports Commission and St Kilda AFL club, as well as directing Hockey Australia in 2004-2012.

The AOC has already undergone change since a below-expectations Rio Games campaign last year, with Matt Carroll replacing Fiona De Jong as chief executive.

Roche is promising to repair the body’s relationship with the Australian Sports Commission, which has been hurt by Coates’ criticism of its Winning Edge funding model.

She is advocating for more focus on smaller sports and capping the length of executive terms.

“We need to find ways to provide for all Olympic sports, large and small,” Roche said.

“We need to work closely with the national federations to ensure sport can thrive, from youth and club level through to the high-performance programs that prepare Australia’s Olympic athletes.”

The AOC president and other board positions will be decided on May 6.