Athletics Australia is in the market for a new boss only months before the Olympics

Athletics Australia chief executive Darren Gocher is set to leave the sport only a matter of months before the Olympics.

Athletics Australia boss Darren Gocher will stand down after three years in the job

Athletics Australia is the latest Olympic sport to undergo change at the top, with chief executive Darren Gocher poised to leave the organisation only months before the Tokyo Games.

Gocher declined to comment when contacted by The Australian on Monday but it is understood he is on the verge of standing down as chief executive, leaving the sport on the lookout for a new leader in an Olympic year.

Gocher, a former first-grade rugby league referee, has been at the helm of athletics for more than three years. His departure comes only a matter of months after the exit of the head of high-performance and coaching Christian Malcolm.

Malcolm left late last year to take up a job as head coach of British Athletics. Gocher wasted no time filling the void, convincing athletics legend Sally Pearson and fellow Olympian Leisel Jones to play a role with the team in the lead-in to Tokyo.

Respected coach Nic Bideau was then brought on board to work alongside the country’s distance runners in the lead-up to the Olympics. Gocher, however, won’t be around to see whether the appointments have the desired effect.

It means athletics is the latest sport to undergo administrative tumult in the lead-up to the Olympics. Baseball Australia chief executive Cam Vale tendered his resignation only weeks ago while Andrew Hamilton has been the acting chief executive of Equestrian Australia.

Gocher’s decision comes as Athletics Australia confirm their commitment to holding the Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney in their entirety in April.

AA acknowledged the health and safety guidelines around the event were unfolding, but insisted that it would go ahead as planned.

“We know the Australian athletics community is excited to finally come together for the 2021 Australian track and field championships, but more important than that is the health and safety of everyone in our community,” Gocher said.

“We are committed to staging the Australian track and field championships in Sydney, given the importance of this event to the broader athletics community and for our athletes trying to qualify for Tokyo, and the World Under 20 Championships.

“However, we want to be completely transparent. We will hold the championships in a similar fashion to any other year, providing it is safe for all stakeholders.

“We are doing everything possible to hold a safe event, including working with the NSW Government, and in the case that the event can’t be held in its full capacity, we are looking at contingency plans to give athletes the opportunity they need to qualify for their major championships.”

AA confirmed they were undertaking regular risk assessment and mitigation reviews. Contingency venues and revised competition structures have also been devised and will be executed if required.

As a result, AA has been unable to release a final timetable. They did confirm a draft schedule of events would be distributed later this week, while at the same time admitting changes may be forced upon them. As such, they requested that athletes book refundable flights and accommodation.