John Coates

John Coates studied law at Sydney University, but almost immediately entered sports administration. He did work in the financial services sector eventually becoming chairman of William Inglis & Son Ltd.

Coates joined the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Executive Committee in 1982 and became President of the AOC from 1990-2022. Coates was a senior vice-president of the organizing committee for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A rower as a youth, he was a council member of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron (FISA) (later the World Rowing Federation) from 1992-2014.

Coates’ roles in international and Australian sport are myriad, including President of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) (2011-), President of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) (2011-), Chairman of the Australian Olympic Foundation (1996-), Deputy Chairman (1986-89) of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Deputy Chairman (1989-1998) of the Australian Sports Commission, and Vice-President of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Brisbane 2032 (2022-).

Coates became a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2001, representing the Australian Olympic Committee, and served through 2017. In 2017 he was then made an individual member of the IOC. He has served on the IOC Executive Board from 2010-17 and since 2020 and has been a vice-president from 2013-2017 and since 2020. On the IOC Coates has chaired several commissions, including the Juridical Commission (2014-15), Sport and Law Commission (2014-15), Legal Affairs Commission (2015-), the Winter Games Strategic Review Working Group (2016), the Vice-President Working Group for Award of the 2024 and 2028 Olympics (2017), the 2026 Olympic Winter Games Candidature Process Review (2017), Agenda 2020/New Norm Olympic Games Delivery Executive Steering Committee (2017-), and the Working Group for Future Games Elections (2019). In addition, he has served on several other IOC Commissions.

For his efforts in the world of sport Coates has received many honors and awards. He was given the Olympic Order in Gold in 2000. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989, and Officer of the Order of the Order of Australia in 1995, and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2006. Coates also received the FISA Medal of Honour in 2000.

Coates’ extensive work in the Olympic Movement has not been totally without controversy. His close relationship with IOC President Thomas Bach led to many suggestions that it was responsible for the award of the 2032 Olympic Games to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, although Coates denied any involvement in that decision. In 1980 Coates was outspoken in his belief that Australia should not join the USA-led boycott of the Moskva Olympics. During the bidding for the 2000 Olympic Games, Coates allegedly paid $35,000 (US) to two African IOC Members, Francis Nyangweso (UGA) and Charles Mukora (KEN) in exchange for their support of the Sydney bid for 2000.