Australian Olympic Committee VP Ian Chesterman has been elected president, replacing an imposing force on the Olympics scene, John Coates. Chesterman was chef de mission for the Tokyo Games and 6 Winter Olympics teams before that and said he wants to inspire the next generation of athletes. Coates, a 32-year veteran who delivered the 2000 Olympics to Sydney via a frantic last-minute lobbying effort which saw him visit 30 countries in the final days before the vote, has retired. The 71yo was critical to winning the bid for the 2032 Brisbane Games in the months before his retirement, and he remains on the organising committee’s board. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is in Oz at the moment – he congratulated Chesterman and praised Coates’ record. “The shoes he has to fill are huge,” he said.