The Commission claim they consulted widely with athletes and received an unprecedented level of feedback on the role of the President and future of the AOC.

Both Coates and challenger Danielle Roche presented to the Commission and afterwards the body took the non-unanimous majority decision to back Coates, head of the AOC since 1990. 

The AOC Athletes' Commission will have two votes at the election, due to take place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

The Commission is chaired by pole vaulter Steve Hooker and also includes rowers Kim Brennan and James Tomkins, kayakers Jess Fox and Ken Wallace, athlete Alana Boyd, swimmer Cate Campbell, freestyle skiers Ramone Cooper and Lydia Lassila, boxer Shelley Watts and hockey player Jamie Dwyer.

The Commission have also backed the candidacy of Andrew Plympton for one of the vice-president roles.

Plympton, a backer of Roche’s campaign, is challenging incumbent vice-presidents Helen Brownlee and Ian Chestermann for the two spots

They claim their backing for Plympton comes as they seek to have a balanced, independent and collaborative AOC Executive Board.

The Commission admitted that Roche’s platform raised "a number of issues that we, as an Athletes’ Commission, and the broader athlete population, have passionate views on".

This includes an assessment of the remuneration of the AOC President, seeking greater collaboration between the governing body and the Australian Sports Commission and a move for the Presidency to be a non-executive role.

"The Athletes’ Commission supports the transition to a traditional non-Executive President role, supported by a strong Executive Board," the AOC Athletes’ Commission statement read.

"The Athletes’ Commission has confidence in the incoming chief executive Matt Carroll to take on the full responsibilities of a chief executive.

"The Athletes’ Commission supports a review of the President’s remuneration.

"Any remuneration should be commensurate with the role undertaken.

"The scope of this role should be determined by the Executive Board.

"The Athletes’ Commission supports, and is willing to help facilitate, cooperation and collaboration between the AOC and the ASC.

"The Athletes’ Commission has confidence in the ability of chief executive Matt Carroll and Kate Palmer to work together in the best interests of the athletes and Australian sport as a whole.

"The Athletes’ Commission emphasises the importance of retaining focus on supporting athletes in their transition out of sport, and their wellbeing during and post their sporting careers.

"Enhanced organisational support for these initiatives should be channelled in this direction.

"The Athletes’ Commission wants proactive remediation of the relationship between the AOC and Swimming Australia, including the opportunity for the views of swimmers to be heard and addressed."

The Commission have also called for a "planned and strategic" transition of Coates out of the role as AOC President.

They claim that that a succession plan should seek to develop a number of candidates who sports can vote for at future Annual General Meetings.

Coates has expressed his desire to step back into a "more traditional" role, having claimed he took on executive responsibilities because he did not have faith in previous chief executives.

“I’ve been the President, I have been an executive President because I did not have faith in the chief executives underneath me," he told ABC730 in an interview.

“I gave the last one every opportunity to step up and it did not happen.

“I took back marketing responsibility, communications responsibilities.

“We now have a new chief executive Matt Carroll, who has come from three Olympic sports and he is the first outside appointment we have got.

“I have got full faith in him to be able to step up and enable me to step back into a more traditional role.”

 Matt Allen, a winner of the Sydney Hobart Race in 1983, is one of 10 nominees for seven Executive member positions having been put forward by Australian Sailing, where he is President. 

Among those also nominated are Mark Arbib by Athletics Australia, Craig Carracher by Volleyball Australia, Kitty Chiller by Modern Pentathlon Australia, Evelyn Halls by the Australian Fencing Federation and Rechelle Hawkes by Hockey Australia.

Completing the list of nominees is David Hynes by Baseball/Softball Australia, Nicole Livingstone by Swimming Australia, Michael Murphy by Gymnastics Australia and Danielle Woodward by Australian Canoeing.

It was confirmed on Monday (May 1) that Tracey Gaudry would no longer seek a place on the AOC Board, having become the first woman to be named as chief executive of an Australian Football League team.

The International Cycling Union vice-president will serve as the chief executive of Hawthorn Football Club.

Gaudry had been named as one of Coates' preferred choices for the AOC Board last month.

The election is taking place at a time of turmoil for the AOC, with the organisation currently facing allegations of bullying.

The AOC Athletes’ Commission have expressed their support for the investigations into allegations made.

"The Athletes’ Commission supports the independent review of workplace culture at the AOC," it said.

"The AOC expects very high standards of athletes who represent Australia at the Olympic Games, and the Athletes’ Commission believes that the same high standards should be placed on employees, directors and contractors to the Australian Olympic Committee."

Susan Crennan and Ian Callinan, two former justices of the High Court of Australia, are among a three-member Independent Committee investigating the claims lodged by former AOC chief executive Fiona de Jong against Mike Tancred.

The Committee is completed by Greg James and is expected to reach a verdict by June 1.

Tancred has temporarily stepped down as the AOC's director of media and communications while the allegations are investigated.

Four further allegations have been reported by Fairfax Media, with three unnamed women reportedly making either informal or formal complaints.

Ryan Wells, who worked for the AOC between 2000 to 2005, has also alleged he was threatened.

The Committee will only investigate the complaint made by de Jong.

Tancred has denied all allegations made against him.