John Coates cancels presentation to Swimming Australia

Besieged AOC president John Coates has cancelled at short notice planned re-election pitch to Australia’s most successful Olympic sport.

Swimming Australia received a short note from Mr Coates’ personal assistant saying he had decided not to present his case.

Besieged AOC president John Coates has cancelled at short notice a planned presentation this morning to Australia’s most successful Olympic sport, in a further sign that the unprecedented challenge to his leadership is having a significant toll.

Mr Coates agreed two weeks ago to pitch his case for re-election to the board of Swimming Australia, the national governing body of a broad participation sport which each Olympics, provides the most significant portion of Australia’s medal tally.

His challenger for AOC president, 1996 Olympic hockey champion Danielle Roche, also agreed to present her reform agenda to the Swimming Australia board today. She will present as planned.

As Mr Coates was preparing for last night’s AOC emergency board meeting, Swimming Australia received a short note from Mr Coates’ personal assistant saying he had decided not to present his case.

“John will not now be presenting to your Board and asks that you convey his sincere thanks to President, John Bertrand for the opportunity,’’ he note read.

Mr Coates and Mr Bertrand have not spoken since the Rio Olympics, when Mr Coates ridiculed pre-Games predictions of Australia dominating the pool and named Mr Bertrand as part of a failed “corporate model’’ of sport leadership.

Mr Bertrand was also furious at the publication of what he saw as false stories, which he suspects were sourced by an AOC official, about the swimming team being aloof from athletes competing in other sports and not embracing the team culture of the Australian Olympic team in Rio.

Despite some disappointing performances in pool, Australia in Rio won three of its eight gold medals and 10 of its 29 total medals swimming.

Mr Coates’ abrupt change of plans this morning, for which he offered no explanation, stranded high-flying board members such as Goldman Sachs chief executive Simon Rothery and the Brisbane — based chief financial officer of Clayton Utz, Graeme Johnson.

Another Swimming Australia director had flown in from Perth for the presentations by Mr Coates and Ms Roche, who as part of her reform agenda has pledged to do for payment a role for which Mr Coates currently charges the AOC $716,500 in consulting fees.

Mr Coates’ no-show has further entrenched the divide between the AOC and the sport it relies most heavily on for Olympic success.

AOC board member Nicole Livingstone. Picture: Aaron Francis

Mr Coates has publicly disendorsed Nicole Livingstone, a three-time Olympian and board member of both Swimming Australia and the AOC.

Ms Livingstone this week public backed Ms Roche’s proposed AOC reform agenda, including the introduction of term limits for board members and AOC president.

Swimming, which votes in AOC elections alongside diving, synchronised swimming and water polo as part of an aquatics bloc, has been widely expected to support Ms Roche since she announced her candidacy.

Mr Coates has controlled the AOC since 1990, when he replaced Kevan Gospar as AOC president. This is the first year his position has been challenged.

Mr Coates, who turns 67 the day after Olympic sports meet on 6 May to vote on his tenure, this week lost his campaign spokesman, AOC media director Mike Tancred, who agreed to stand down from all AOC duties until a bulling complaint against him by former chief executive Fiona de Jong is resolved.

Wednesday night’s emergency board meeting was called by three AOC directors not aligned with Mr Coates — Ms Livingstone, experienced sports administrator and ASC board member Andrew Plympton and Olympic canoeist Danielle Woodward. Their demands were for Mr Tancred to be stood down and the complaint against him referred to an independent panel for determination.

Mr Coates agreed to both those demands.

The complaint against Mr Tancred will be referred to an independent panel of senior lawyers or judges. The board meeting resolved for incoming chief executive Matt Carroll to oversee a review of the workplace culture at the AOC, a measure prompted by revelations of multiple complaints against Mr Tancred and other employees and an exodus of staff.