Coates courts athletes in political spat
25 April 1998High profile Australian athletes could settle the dispute over who will open the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
The Federal Government has insisted that the Prime Minister open the Games in return for funding, but the president of the Australian Olympic Committee, Mr John Coates, said he would take direction from the AOC's athletes' advisory body. And in a clear message for the politicians to back off, Mr Coates threatened that the Australian Olympic team might not display the Australian flag on its uniform, instead electing to go with the Southern Cross.
Mr Coates yesterday sent a letter to the Federal Government and the Olympic Games organising committee (of which he is vice-president) reminding them that the AOC has key voting powers in relation to issues in the Olympic Games Host City Contract.
The AOC must agree to any changes in the contract. Mr Coates said he would take direction from his 10-strong Athletes Commission for a recommendation as to who should stand in the middle of the 110,000-seat stadium and officially open the Olympic Games around the world. The Athletes Commission is made up of athletes such as marathon runner Steve Moneghetti and aerial freestyle skier Kirstie Marshall. Members of the commission have hailed Mr Coates' insistence that they have a say as a victory for the athletes.
A former Olympic hockey player Liane Tooth said the Olympics were about competition and fair play and she would vote for politicians to stay right out of it. "I would hate to see a politician having the final say on the Olympics, because the Games are not about politics," she said. "This really is the first opportunity for this generation of athletes to have a push about where sport is going."
Yesterday Mr Coates said he wanted the republic debate to run its course before a decision was made on whether to wear the Australian flag. "We would do our best to reflect the views of current Australians," he said. "My view is that we would like to see an Australian open the Games and an Australian elected, or an appointed Australian, and I would like to let the republic debate run its full course before we made any decision on that."
The Federal Government has insisted that the Prime Minister open the Games as part of a financial deal with the NSW Government to underwrite $70 million worth of Commonwealth services during the Olympics, including transport, quarantine and security. But Mr Coates said the Federal Government was wrong in assuming it had to deal only with the NSW Government.
Meanwhile, Sydney organisers are preparing to allocate 500,000 tickets to some less popular sports at discount rates to Australian schoolchildren and their families. The sports would include rowing, mountain bike riding and handball.
