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AOC President Coates Issues Apology For Comments Made In Leaked Email

Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates "issued an apology for comments he made in a leaked email when referring to an employee with cancer," according to the HERALD SUN. Coates, who has "come under increasing pressure in recent days amid ongoing allegations of bullying and intimidation within the AOC," admitted using the term "sheltered workshop" was wrong. Coates said, "Of course, it was the wrong choice of words." The apology came "just hours after" Danni Roche -- who will stand against Coates in next week's AOC presidential election -- called for "urgent changes following revelations of a toxic workplace culture." On Thursday, Roche demanded an "independent and transparent investigation." Coates' comments were condemned by Federal Sports Minister Greg Hunt and Australian Paralympic Committee CEO Lynne Anderson. Hunt said, "The language was inappropriate in the past, it's completely unacceptable in this day and age" (HERALD SUN, 4/27). ABC reported Paralympic Gold Medalist Dylan Alcott said that Coates' comments "fed negative stigmas associated with disability." Alcott added, "A sheltered workshop is where able-bodied people and disabled people work separately but it's used colloquially to belittle an able-bodied person saying you're acting like someone with a disability or you can't do a role" (ABC, 4/27). The AAP reported former AOC CEO Fiona de Jong "questioned the independence of a review into workplace practices" at the AOC. Part of the AOC's response to bullying claims by de Jong, which have led to Media Dir Mike Tancred "standing down," will include an "independent" review of the body's culture by incoming CEO Matt Carroll. De Jong said that Carroll "could be put in a difficult position should claims of misconduct be made" against members of the exec, headed by Coates. De Jong said, "I would question the ability of any CEO to be truly independent and impartial in circumstances that the CEO was to become aware of an allegation against an individual to whom he or she reports" (AAP, 4/27).

EMAIL EXCHANGE: In Sydney, Chip Le Grand reported Coates was "warned almost 10 years ago" that an "alleged pattern of inappro­priate behaviour" toward staff by Tancred had "triggered the resignation of at least one valued employee and reportedly caused others to feel uncomfortable" about working at the AOC. A recently released email exchange about a complaint lodged by an AOC employee against Tancred shortly after the 2008 Beijing Olympics revealed an "apparent casual response" by Coates toward "serious allegations of workplace misconduct" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 4/28).

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