Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates refused to accept any responsibility for "flaws in the culture" of the organization outlined in a report released on Wednesday, according to Nick Mulvenney of REUTERS. The Independent Cultural Review revealed that some AOC staff viewed the organization as "dysfunctional" and had witnessed "'deceitful', 'two-faced', 'egotistic' and/or 'belligerent'" behavior from senior staff. Coates said that any misbehavior detailed in the review was "committed by others, many who were no longer at the AOC, and he certainly would not be standing down from his position." He said, "Why should I resign? There has been no confirmation of bullying. There has been some criticism of the senior leaders -- I'm the president, I'm not the senior leader that is being criticized. ... I have not swept anything under the carpet. There's plenty of acknowledgements (in the report) of the staff having pride in me and what I have achieved for the Olympic movement ... and I'm happy to be judged on that." Coates presided over a "difficult year for the AOC after a Rio Olympics campaign that featured controversy away from the sporting arena and disappointing results in it." A challenge to his AOC presidency followed, "sparked by a feud" with Australian Sports Commission Chair John Wylie. Coates "successfully quashed that challenge" in May but AOC Media Dir Mike Tancred was "stood down and reprimanded during the campaign" after being found guilty of "disreputable conduct" toward former AOC CEO Fiona de Jong. That led to the commissioning of the review by Sydney-based The Ethics Centre, "which suggested the AOC needed to modernize." New CEO Matt Carroll said that the AOC "would implement all 17 recommendations of the review," which presented the body with a "platform to reset the organization." Coates also announced that Australia would have a new chef de mission for the third straight Summer Olympics with Ian Chesterman, who has led six Winter Olympic teams, replacing Kitty Chiller for Tokyo 2020 (REUTERS, 8/23).
TURNING THE PAGE: In Sydney, Glenda Korporaal reported Chesterman, speaking on last year's Games where athletes "had to deal with a lack of facilities as cash-strapped organisers battled to host the Olympics," said, "We can't overestimate how tough (Rio) was." He added, "Starting afresh and going to a place like Japan which will be well organized and will have all the welcome mats out and the showers running will be very helpful. Everybody had a pretty torrid time over there (in Rio)." The Australian team came home from Rio with "only" 29 medals, including eight Golds, its "worst performance since the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/25).
'OUT OF STEP': The AAP reported the independent review found the AOC’s culture is "out of step with Olympic ideals and modern workplace practices." Staffers tell of senior leaders "undermining each other and being openly hostile;" of "widespread concerns" about favoritism; a "lack of transparency" in decision-making; and "poor communication." Many staff also "hold a view that some people had stayed in the organisation too long," which was a "key plank" in the failed campaign to win the AOC presidency by ex-Olympian Danni Roche. The review findings said, "The principal cause of disillusionment is the way the organisation's leadership treats staff and external stakeholders. ... Less than one in three staff surveyed felt that people ... are able to have difficult conversations in the constructive and respectful manner" (AAP, 8/24).
FIRING BACK: In Melbourne, Chris Barrett reported de Jong said on Thursday that the findings of the independent review -- which found behavior "not in keeping with Olympic values" -- had validated concerns she had "actively tried to address in my years as CEO." She said, "It is convenient for the president to name the very CEO who is the only one who has been brave enough to actually speak out publicly on these issues and reported issues of culture to the president himself. I therefore find it disappointing and difficult to accept that the president denies any responsibility for the culture of the organization. ... You can't claim you're being remunerated for doing the job as executive president and then claim you're not responsible for anything that goes on under your presidency" (THE AGE, 8/24).
