Danielle Roche, who won Olympic hockey gold at the Atlanta 1996 Games, announced earlier this month her plan to run against long-standing incumbent John Coates with the elections for the President and Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) Executive Board scheduled for May 6.

The 46-year-old insisted it was her "own decision" to stand amid speculation that she was put up to it by Australian Sports Commission (ASC) chairman John Wylie, who has been involved in a feud with Coates in recent months.

Coates, a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, accused Wylie of trying to oust him from his position and the pair were involved in a heated exchange during a Nitro Athletics event in Melbourne last month.

The Australian reports it has been asserted that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull intervened to reappoint Wylie as ASC chairman before the election in a show of support in his public spat with Coates.

Hunt, however, has branded that version of events as "genuinely and completely wrong".

A spokesman for him told The Australian the reappointment of Wylie was in progress before Hunt became the Sports Minister in January.

He also said that it was backed by both Hunt and Turnbull, adding that the timing of the AOC annual meeting "simply wasn’t a consideration".

The Australian understands Turnbull and Hunt did not discuss the date of the AOC Board meeting at any point, or how it factored into the decision to prolong Wylie’s tenure as ASC chairman.

"The appointment was under advanced consideration before Mr Hunt came in," the spokesman said.

"Mr Hunt met Mr Wylie and confirmed the ASC wanted to head in the same direction as the Government and reaffirmed the appointment.

"Mr Hunt has significant respect for John Coates as well."

In an interview with ABC Radio, Coates said he did not view Wylie’s reappointment as a message to him from the Government.

"They are happy he’s doing a good job - it’s up to them, they’re entitled to reappoint him," he said.

"It has nothing to do with us."

Roche is the first person to challenge Coates for the Presidency, which he has held since 1990.

Her decision to stand comes with a series of bold pledges as she claims she will not accept a salary to allow the money to be "put back into sport and athletes".

It follows reports that 66-year-old Coates has a salary of around AUS$700,000 (£428,000/$534,000/€494,000).

Roche, nominated for the Presidency by Hockey Australia, has also vowed to improve the collaboration between the AOC and the ASC in spite of the ongoing war of words between the two organisations.

The AOC, which is still reeling from a disappointing performance by Australian athletes at last year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, recently appointed Matt Carroll as chief executive to replace Fiona de Jong.

Australia finished 10th on the medal table at Rio 2016, winning eight golds, 11 silvers and 10 bronzes.