Coates drops C-bomb on rival over AOC presidency battle
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates has admitted calling Australian Sports Commission chief John Wylie a "c***" at February's Nitro athletics event in Melbourne.
Coates, currently locked in a fierce battle with Olympic gold medallist Danni Roche for the AOC presidency, has told the Australian Financial Review he called Mr Wylie a "liar" and "c***" to his face after the ASC boss attempted to shake hands with him at the event.
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"I don't shake hands with liars," Mr Coates says he told Wylie. "I don't shake hands with c***s."
The startling admission from Coates comes on the back of serious concerns about his presidency.
Roche, who won gold in 2000 with the Hokeyroos, believes she has "overwhelming support" to oust the long-standing president.
But she staunchly denies the AOC's claim she was put up to it by Wylie, describing her daring move as "100 per cent my choice" and entirely separate to the public slanging match between Wylie and Coates.
As the first challenger for the presidency since Coates took up his post more than a quarter of a century ago, Roche is campaigning on a platform of broad reform aimed at returning Australia to its Olympic golden years.
The 46-year-old, who was nominated by Hockey Australia, has pledged to work for nothing, a stark contrast to Coates' reported $700,000 salary she says underlines her desire to funnel money away from executives and towards the sports and athletes.
When asked about Coates's offensive language, Roche told Fairfax Media "the Australian Olympic Committee and its officers should always conduct themselves in line with the fundamental ethical principles outlined in the Olympic Charter".
She added the president of the AOC should always act in the "best interests of sports and athletes".
No sooner had she announced her candidacy last month the AOC pounced, painting the ASC board member as the face of Wylie's bid to depose Coates, which in turn would force him to surrender his IOC vice-presidency.
"For quite some time now there's been what I'd call robust discussion with the Australian Sports Commission," AOC media director Mike Tancred said on behalf of Coates, who was locked away in a board meeting.
"We understand Mr Wylie has approached certain people to run against John Coates, and that Danni Roche was one of those people, and she's accepted his invitation."
Tancred said Coates was set on continuing until he found a successor he deemed fit.
He also described his wage as "really cheap" considering his vast global connections bring "a lot of corporate dollars through the door".
with AAP
