Barry Maister never came close to falling into that category. In fact, the well-respected New Zealander proved somewhat of an antithesis to that viewpoint.

Maister, whose term concluded at the end of 2018 after he reached the age limit of 70, was part of a small group of constructive critics, alongside the likes of Saint Lucia’s Richard Peterkin and Britain’s Adam Pengilly, during his eight-year stint on the IOC.

The Olympic hockey gold medallist was a prominent member of a rare circle among the IOC electorate who bucked the trend of obedience favoured by some of their counterparts and would not be afraid to ask difficult questions on numerous subjects, ranging from Russian doping to corruption cases involving their fellow members.

Few have taken up their mantra since Maister’s departure from the IOC, save for a refreshing intervention from departing World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Sir Craig Reedie at the last Session in Lausanne.

Sir Craig, if you recall, had the temerity to directly quiz IOC President Thomas Bach on the situation with Papa Massata Diack and the potential impact of the case on the 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal.

The fact that this perfectly valid question was a rarity, coupled with the dismissive response from Bach and suggestions Sir Craig was admonished behind the scenes, highlights a reason why Maister’s group of crusaders was not stronger in numbers.

Yet the New Zealander insisted he never feared any potential ramifications for his outspoken nature, an claim supported by the multitude of commissions he was appointed to under Bach but contradicted by the fact he was not granted an extension to his membership by the IOC.

Maister also claims there is a reason behind the current culture at the IOC and believes it is unfair to judge a member’s contribution based on their lack of input ti Session discussions.

"Any effective IOC President has to drive through change," Maister told insidethegames.

"To do this they need to be strong and make things happen. At times that may appear to override the many contrasting voices within the movement, but I believe the alternative would be a frustrating inaction. We have a strong leader, who knows where he is heading, and I like it."

In typical Maister fashion, however, the former secondary school principal turned Olympic gold medal winning hockey player feels there is scope for change on how the IOC conducts its business and suggested a way in which to tackle the perception of acquiescence within the body.

"I strongly believe that a fixed term tenure for all IOC members, like the President’s term, should be applied as a basic tenant of good governance for all members," he said.

"If we are going to appoint young members in their own right, with 30-40 years of their term to run, we risk a bad governance practice, as well as an unreasonable expectation of maintaining effective performance and active balanced contribution over a 'lifetime'.

"If members have not made a contribution over say a three-term period, then it is unlikely they ever will."

Another mechanism Maister feels could be improved is the manner in which members accused or found guilty of corruption are handled, a predominant theme throughout the latter part of his IOC tenure.

Back in 2017, the now 71-year-old said he was preparing "a range of good governance mpractices specifically relating to the selection, management and education of IOC members" for consideration by the IOC Ethics Commission after Brazilian Carlos Nuzman was arrested on corruption charges.

Nuzman is not alone in being accused of wrongdoing during his time on the IOC. Others have included the powerful Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, Irishman Patrick Hickey and Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks, two of which feature on the IOC’s online members list as “self-suspended” – a status Maister believes should "not be allowed".

"I have a view that any member accused of corruption in any form should be automatically, immediately, temporarily stood down pending an external and internal investigation," Maister said.

"Self-suspension should not be allowed, or at least should not discourage/prevent the IOC from taking its stand down action.

"When any IOC member is either accused of or is guilty of a corruption matter, to me it’s like a dagger in the heart of the movement.

"All of us members to some degree as a collective, stand condemned as a result. It does huge damage to the IOC and the Olympic Movement.

"It is hard to preach the values and benefits to mankind of the work we do if the public perception is bad.

"In my world travels I have become increasingly aware that corruption is endemic and normalised in many countries, so it is probably not surprising when it surfaces at times among our membership."

Allegations of corruption against members - or "transgressions", in Maister’s own words - was one of five issues picked out by the New Zealander when asked about the main challenges the IOC has faced since he became a member in 2010.

The others? "Relations with the World Anti-Doping Agency, Russia, the 'Anti Games' movement, and dealing with the rise and rise of 'new action sports’ such as breakdancing, skateboarding and esports," Maister replies.

The "Anti Games" movement the three-time Olympian refers to has come amid increased levels of public opposition towards bidding for and hosting the Games, which has scuppered numerous candidacies in recent years.

It is not surprising to see Maister, a fierce protector of the Olympic Movement even if he is not technically a part of it anymore, express his own opposition to groups such as No Boston Olympics, which successfully killed the American city’s bid for the 2024 Summer Games.

"Having been directly involved with such a group in my bid evaluation experience, I found them to be grossly ill informed and with utterly closed minds. Reason and logic seemed to be lost on them," Maister said, in comments which are bound to catch the eye of Olympic detractors.

Nevertheless, the rise in public objection to the Games and the problems caused for the IOC as a result have forced the organisation to initiate significant and sizeable changes to the Olympic bidding process.

The main highlights from the reforms approved at the Session in June include scrapping the seven-year timeline between the event being awarded and the Games starting and the option to include additional cities, regions and even countries as part of a single bid.

The creation of separate "Future Host Commissions" for the Summer and Winter Olympics was another headline change, effectively granting these new bodies considerable power on where the Games will be held.

"The recent moves of IOC to work very differently with potential cities is a very positive development and should provide encouragement and safety to bidders," Maister said.

"Working with cities and helping make decisions around hosting which are cost effective and sustainable for the country, including comprehensive legacy plans, are all logical and totally necessary.

"It is still hurting when the media continue to use the cost of Sochi Games ($52 billion) as an example of decadence and extravagance which is hard to shake off, even though it is misleading and wrong.

"The bidding process had to change. I was on a bidding evaluation commission back when it was a game of deception, and box ticking and obscuring weaknesses.

"Honest and open dialogue was essential, as was the need to significantly reduce bidding costs, such as when Winter Games bid cities would send large teams down to Oceania to talk about ice and snow to most of the countries which had neither!

"The IOC has a huge financial and brand protection investment in the Games so it should retain the power to make important decisions."

As a former athlete himself, who tasted Olympic glory not far off 40 years to the day at the 1976 Games in Montreal, it would have been remiss of me not to ask about the growing calls for competitors to be given a greater share of the considerable revenue generated by the Games.

Athlete pressure groups have been urging other countries and National Olympic Committees to follow a ruling in Germany, which scaled back the powers of the IOC’s rule 40, to allow Olympians to be appropriately remunerated for their efforts in their respective sports.

An amendment to the wording of rule 40 was subsequently approved at the Session, a significant development for athletes who believe they are entitled to a larger slice of the Olympic pie.

You might have thought Maister would support this movement but, instead, he says he disagrees with the calls for extra money.

"I am aware of many parts of the movement where the athlete voice is still not taken seriously," Maister said.

"The rise of the voice of young people is part of the world we live in today, and I see it as a positive, this from someone who comes from a country with a 39-year old female Prime Minister.

"Having said that, I am very concerned about the strident athlete voices calling for a greater share of IOC revenue.

"As we all know 93 per cent of IOC revenue is distributed to assist sport development around the world...a far more worthy goal than rewarding athletes who invariably get huge benefits for their career and livelihood by participating in and being successful at an Olympic Games.

"In the case of asking for extra money, no [I do not agree]. 

"Could it be the thin end of the wedge?

"Would all Olympians then expect it, and at what cost to the global benefits of contributing to increasing sports participation and building healthier and better communities?"

Barry Maister: asking the tough questions during his IOC membership and beyond.