For Danni Roche, the lobbying is almost over.

The 46-year-old, a 1996 Olympic Games gold medallist and a board member of both the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the St Kilda Football Club, hopes to unseat long-standing Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) boss John Coates in Saturday’s vote.

While Roche, who wants to dramatically shake up the AOC, has embarked on an exhaustive campaign speaking to the sporting bodies who will vote this weekend, the organisation she wants to take over has been in turmoil, plagued by allegations of death threats made by senior staff members and a culture of intimidation and bullying.

That wasn’t all. Leaked emails, for which Coates apologised for his language in, the “standing down” of media man Mike Tancred, a crisis meeting and no shortage of muck-raking have taken the story from the back pages to the front.

“I think the public would be rightly concerned by some of the very serious allegations raised during this campaign,” Roche told The New Daily on Wednesday.

“Bullying and intimidation have no place in any workplace, especially one that is responsible for promoting and upholding the spirit of the Olympic movement.

“There have been serious questions raised about the culture at the AOC and where the organisation’s priorities are.”

Coates has been in charge of the AOC for 27 years, something Roche says should help – and not hinder – her chances, while the bad headlines of the past fortnight will almost certainly be an advantage.

“It looks like the vote on Saturday will come down to the wire … there is certainly a momentum for change,” she said.

“There is a need for renewal in any organisation, irrespective of what has been achieved in the past. That is now widely accepted as best corporate practice.

“Indeed, international sporting bodies are increasingly introducing term limits, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to ensure there is renewal and less capacity for corruption.”

With Coates’ position as vice-president of the IOC set to expire in September, due to term limits, Roche says “the need to invest in the next generation of leaders” is “crystal clear”.

John Coates is also heavily involved in the planning of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Photo: Getty

Make no mistake, though, Roche’s bid to take over is based on far more than her belief that it is time for a change. She wants to slash overheads and administration costs and has even offered to work for nothing – saving around $750,000 a year – to free up more funding for sports.

She also says fixing a “dysfunctional” relationship between the primary funder of sport in Australia, the ASC, and the AOC is “critical”.

“The relationship is dysfunctional and that is not good for Olympic sports and athletes,” she said.

“I can immediately fix that relationship and bring in a new era of collaboration, while remaining fiercely independent.

“[I want to set about] redirecting the attention of the Australian Olympic Committee to sports and athletes.”

‘That disturbs me greatly’

Roche, who also wants to introduce term limits if elected, has had her bid for power questioned by former Hockeyroos coach Ric Charlesworth, while Athletics Australia boss and former sports minister Mark Arbib has publicly backed Coates.

But sports administrator Ron Walker and Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle are on Roche’s side, with the latter insistent she has all the qualities needed to be a success.

“She is a very decent, hard-working, smart and focused woman and she is someone I’m prepared to support publicly,” Doyle told The New Daily.

“It’s also great to promote young women for senior roles in sports administration – it’s been a bit of a boys club.

“I have nothing personal against John Coates but I also think 27 years is a pretty good innings.

“I think with 27 years, you develop a policy for sustainability or a successor, but that doesn’t seem to be there and that disturbs me greatly.”

Coates was approached for comment but declined to speak to The New Daily.