Australian Olympic Committee Media Dir Mike Tancred made an "unqualified apology" to former CEO Fiona de Jong, "admitting he threatened her during an altercation on her final day" at the organization, according to Nicole Jeffery of THE AUSTRALIAN. De Jong made a formal complaint to the AOC about Tancred’s behavior. The complaint was "eventually handed to an independent panel of three eminent judges for investigation after the incident became public in April during the bitterly contested AOC election campaign." The panel concluded two weeks ago that Tancred breached the AOC's ethical behavior by-law and this amounted to "disreputable conduct." Tancred admitted he "had been in the wrong." In a statement, he said, "In December last year, I rang Fiona de Jong about an internal matter at the AOC. During the course of our conversation, I spoke to Ms de Jong in an intimidating manner, and made threats to damage her and her reputation by publishing allegations about her. I acknowledge that my conduct was hurtful, inappropriate and inconsistent with the values of the AOC." Tancred's future at the organization is "uncertain" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 6/14).
