Two in line for sport’s most important job

IAN Chesterman and Mark Stockwell have been confirmed as the lone candidates to replace John Coates as the next president of the Australian Olympic Committee.

Already one of the most important jobs in Australian sport, the selection of the next AOC boss has taken on added importance after Brisbane was selected to host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032.

While neither Chesterman nor Stockwell will want their showdown to descend into pistols at dawn, it’s still shaping as an intriguing two-horse race, with both men enjoying significant support among the nation’s sporting powerbrokers.

Considered the early favourite, Chesterman has been on the AOC executive for over two decades and is vice-president. He served as the Australian

team’s chef de mission at last year’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.

Stockwell, a triple Olympic medal-winning swimmer, also has friends in high places is a former Australian Sports Commission executive who helped run the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The vote to elect the next leader will take place during the AOC’s annual general meeting in Sydney on April 30.