Olympian Politics: The Australian Olympic Committee
NOVANEWS
By Dr. Binoy Kampmark
It was a scrappy affair, and it resulted in a predictable result: the re-election of veteran administrator John Coates as president of the Australian Olympic Committee by 58 votes to 35. Such a process was all in all dull but for the notable lid it had blown off regarding Olympic harmony down under.
King Coates, as it were, has ruled for 27 years, and had faced no elections. He has made sports personalities drivel with delight at his maneuverings, praising his genius as a politician. (Sports personalities, by this logic, should be kept away from sporting administration.) Over time, he started to resemble a long-in-tooth equatorial dictator, immune from criticism.
The length of such a reign had begun troubling a few in the sports establishment....