Reports claimed earlier this week that former AOC chief executive Fiona de Jong had a dispute with the organisation’s director of media and communications Mike Tancred.

Coates, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president, who was attending the Oceania National Olympic Committees General Assembly here today, admitted the AOC Board were aware of a complaint.

"There has been a complaint made by one employee against another employee," he told insidethegames.

"Both parties have requested confidentiality and that is the state it is at with our Board."

De Jong announced her resignation as the AOC chief executive last October having acted as Deputy Chef de Mission of the Australian team at Rio 2016.

She had been with the AOC for 12 years and worked on 10 Olympic campaigns.

It was claimed by The Australian that she had lost control of communications at the AOC, with Tancred reportedly insisting on reporting to Coates.

De Jong was also reported to be disappointed at the management of Australia’s team at Rio 2016.

The alleged dispute has come as the build-up continues to the AOC Presidential and Board elections, due to take place on on May 6.

Coates is facing a challenge for the first time in the post he has held since 1990 as Danielle Roche, winner of an Olympic hockey gold medal at Atlanta 1996, announced her candidacy earlier this month.

This prompted claims from Tancred that the there was a campaign from those against the President to ensure he is replaced, while he also wrote a newspaper piece backing Coates to remain.

It followed claims Roche was put up to standing by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) chairman John Wylie, who has been involved in a public row with Coates in recent months.

Coates 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 earlier this year.

Australian Sports Minister Greg Hunt has also rejected suggestions that the Federal Government is taking sides in the Presidential election race after claims Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was asserted to have intervened in reappointing Wylie as ASC chairman before the election.

The intervention of Tancred into the Presidential campaign, which included a claim those attacking Coates would not qualify to "carry his bag", has been met with anger in some quarters.

Critics have claimed he should remain neutral as an AOC employee, rather than expressing a preference for the election.

"We have spoken about it," Coates told insidethegames.

"He said, ‘John I feel I have to, I have worked with you since 1996 and I feel upset about this and someone has got to say it'.

"But, I think it is fair criticism.

"He works for the AOC and certainly I have said to him that he should stay AOC-centric.

"I should not feel I have to answer everyone and he should not feel he has to get up and defend me."

Coates' rival Roche has produced a series of bold pledges, including making claims she will not accept a salary to allow the money to be "put back into sport and athletes".

It follows reports that Coates has a salary of around AUD$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.

It was claimed earlier this week that several smaller sports had been benefited from greater funding by the AOC as the election draws closer, with Federation's set to decide the outcome.

Coates rejected the suggestions, claiming their funding policy for sports was decided prior to Roche's decision to enter the Presidential race.

"We did it last time, with sports that do not get funded by the [Australian] Sport’s Commission," he said.

"We had 35 summer and winter sports, now we have 40.

"My view is that we have a duty to each of them to provide an opportunity to get to the Games, some won’t qualify but we give them financial support.

"It was in our funding programme and guidelines for the last Olympics and it is in again for this one.

"We adopted it on November 22 unanimously, including the member of the Australian Sports Commission who is on our Board.

"I wrote to the sports telling them at that time, so it is not a late decision, and a member of our team invited federations to make submissions in either December or January."