Coates paints a pretty picture

The Sun-Herald: There has been plenty written about Beijing - pollution, potential cultural problems, disease and illness - that doesn't paint a pretty picture. What are your thoughts about these Games?

John Coates: I think we can see a pretty picture. The venues are outstanding. We've never seen the like of the infrastructure that is going to hold these Games together; the Olympic village, the broadcast centres. They've also done their best to green the city, though there will be some environmental issues. I think the Games are going to be very good. Except for our own Games - in terms of the Australian population - I doubt there has been more world-wide interest in a Games because of the significance of China, the significance of where they've come from to become an economic superpower. I'm seeing lists of CEOs from big Australian companies who are going there as guests of Channel 7. We have an Australian Prime Minister going to the opening ceremony and a Governor General and a Minister for Sport and Minister for Trade which shows our government is treating these Games more seriously than they have a Games outside of Australia. It is very exciting.

SH: How can the Australian Olympic Committee benefit from that government interest?

JC: We [the AOC] don't take funding ourselves but I think our sports are in need of a significant boost of funds. We haven't had a big boost since the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics. This is a good opportunity for Australia and our politicians to realise the significance of international sport and how important it is to other countries and - again - how important it is to the psyche of the average Australian. I think our community likes to see Australia do well at an Olympics.

SH: At a time when other countries have significantly increased their funding for their Olympic teams' campaign, you've maintained it is vital Australia remains in the top five. Apart from pride, why is that benchmark so important?

JC: I've been involved in the Olympics at a Games level starting at Montreal in 1976 when we just went there and came home with just five medals [no gold]. I'm not sure that the Australian Olympic Federation, as it then was, set high ambitions. We used to talk about the important things such as participating, all the philosophical debates, I happen to be an unavowed believer that you only go into a sporting competition to give it your best - and to try to win. You have to have that attitude to pervade throughout the team. We know it is virtually impossible [to win] in some sports, but if we're saying to government we want you to provide extra funding for our sport, then with that comes an obligation to accept high benchmarks and key performance indicators. They have an obligation to not only attend world championships and Olympics, but they have an obligation to win. We've made sure that no athlete is going for a tracksuit and no official is there as part of a blazer brigade.

SH: Did it surprise you Australian Athletics selectors haven't picked anyone for the sprint events?

JC: They've sent out a message to their community. They've said we're only going to send you if you're performing. I'm not sure that Olympics are the place to go to get experience, either. You can have bad experiences. I'm not critical of them for their decision. They've set standards - athletes had an opportunity to meet them.

SH: Does the Australian public have very high - if not unrealistic - expectations of this team?

JC: The public are entitled to that. The fact we finished fourth at the last two Olympics means there is an expectation. We had top-five objectives at both those Games and we still do. I think they're entitled to have those expectations while government is funding sport . But when they watch the Olympics on television, I think the public will appreciate how tough it is out there.

SH: You've worked very hard to make Australia an important member of the Olympic family. Do we carry much clout, and if so, does it help in dealing with the Beijing and London organisers?

JC: We do. Kevan Gosper is still chairing the media commission and he is a very influential IOC member; more influential than I am. One of the best things we did as an Olympic committee was in the late 1980s, when we had the Brisbane bid for 1992, was realise there were very few Australians who had positions on international federations. We've been providing funding for Australians to get on the executive of international federations. We have 15 or so - probably more - in very senior positions across all sports. We have a couple of vice-presidents, in sailing and tennis. Bob Elphinston is president of international basketball. As a result of the Sydney Games, we trained and developed a whole community of Games experts who now go from Games to Games. Many Australians work at the IOC headquarters and the joke is you have to be an Aussie to get a job there. SH: How special is it for an athlete to carry the title "Olympian" throughout their life?

JC: It is a special honour. If you were to talk to the members of our team, they'll let you know it means more than being selected in a team for a world championships. It's not the ultimate event for some sports, but for 90 per cent it is an incredible honour. We hold them out as role models for young people through our educational program. We do a lot through primary schools, where athletes go online in chat sessions across Australia. We'll do that from Beijing, we'll do two schools a day - we can't do multi ones - where an athlete could chat to a class of kids in Bourke. We promote our Olympians as special people and with that is an obligation to behave accordingly - and you've seen our position on that. In a team of 430 athletes, there's going to be someone who is going to be trouble at some stage, and we should be there to help them. Not all athletes are going to be leaders, but they all have a role to play.