Premier to attend Tokyo ceremony after Coates drama
QUEENSLAND Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will attend Tokyo’s star-studded opening ceremony after a controversial public “order” from Olympic kingmaker John Coates.
Ms Palaszczuk, whose trip to Tokyo had proved unpopular in the context of Covid border closures, had this week declared she would not attend the ceremony and instead watch on TV from her hotel room.
That led to an awkward encounter on Wednesday between Mr Coates and Ms Palaszczuk, when the Olympics powerbroker used a press conference to tell the Queensland Premier “you will be going”.
The comment, broadcast at an international press conference, drew criticism that Mr Coates was mansplaining and had embarrassed the Premier.
But both Ms Palaszczuk and Mr Coates shrugged it off.
“John Coates is amazing,” she said. “Look, it was fine. I’m just going to do what John Coates said. He’s the head of the Australian Olympic Committee.”
Mr Coates said he was doing Ms Palaszczuk a favour and revealed they had enjoyed drinks in his hotel room after the incident. The intervention from Mr Coates has proved controversial, but the sports supremo said Ms Palaszczuk was happy with his comments, and that the public couldn’t see he was smiling behind his face-mask.
“I was doing her a favour. She’s very happy with me. I went to help her,’’ he said.
Mr Coates said his “direction’’ had been a joke and “people had taken it the wrong way”.
“The point I was making was she, the minister and the Lord Mayor should go,” he said.
“I’m so close to her (Ms Palaszczuk).
She’s totally relaxed. Ask her.”
Mr Coates said the controversy was an “an absolute bloody beat-up”.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had reversed her position not to attend the ceremony.
“I’m not going to offend anyone from the International Olympic Committee and the Australian Olympic Committee now that we have been awarded the Games.”