Richard Pound has been a controversial WADA chairman(Image credit: AFP Photo)
John Coates has been elected as president of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). The Australian succeeds Mino Auletta at the head of the body responsible for the administration and finances of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Coates defeated former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) head Dick Pound in the ballot held in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday. Pound had previously lost out on election to Auletta in 2008.
"While CAS has established itself as the world leader in resolving sports-related disputes, there is much we can still do to improve the quality, consistency, efficiency and cost of our service," Coates told The Telegraph. "This is the challenge."
Coates, a lawyer from Sydney, is president of the Australian Olympic Committee. He is also part of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee and a member of the council of the International Rowing Federation, as well as being on the London 2012 coordination commission. He has been a vice president of the ICAS since 1995.
Two ICAS vice presidents were also elected at the meeting in Lausanne, Gunnar Werner of Sweden and Michael Lendard of the United States. Coates will take up office on January 1, 2011. His term lasts until 2014.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
