De Jong replaces former secretary general Craig Philips, who resigned from the position in June after 23 years of service at the AOC.

De Jong, a lawyer, has been with the AOC for 10 years in the role of director of sport where she has assumed much of the AOC's legal work, particularly around team agreements, its many by-laws, selection disputes and anti-doping matters.

"I thank [AOC President] John Coates and the AOC Executive for their trust and support and I will relish this new challenge," said de Jong.

"I've always been passionate about sport and I have a huge desire to advance the AOC and the Olympic Movement.

"I can't wait to get back to work."

De Jong, a former international triathlete, is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her first child, Alessandro.

She is due to commence in her new role on October 7.

"I thrive on the challenges and the deadlines and I still find time to train and devote time to my family," she said.

"I can't wait to get involved with the planning for Rio 2016 and work with Kitty Chiller, the Chef de Mission and her team."

Fiona de Jong (second left) has been the sports director of the Australian Olympic Committee for 10 years, which included working on Beijing 2008 ©Getty Images

Following the announcement, Coates, said: "Our organisation is very focused on succession planning and after 10 years operational experience with the AOC Fiona is totally prepared to assume the role of secretary general.

"Fiona has developed a close working relationship with our member sports, she understands perfectly their needs and she will continue to forge stronger ties with the sports and our other key stakeholders in her new role."

De Jong is the latest woman appointed to a senior position by the AOC.

Besides Chiller, head of Australia's team for Rio 2016, former swimmer Susie O'Neill and aerial skier Alisa Camplin have been appointed by the AOC as Chef de Missions for the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing 2014 and Lillehammer 2016 respectively. 

In addition five of the 12 elected members of the AOC Executive are women, with four of them Olympians - Chiller, Kim Crow, Nicole Livingstone and Danielle Woodward.

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