Around The Rings is the most well known source of news and behind the scenes information on the Olympic Movement. Each year they rank who they feel is the 25 most influential people 'Around The Rings'. For 2013 AOC President and IOC Vice President John Coates jumped from 18th in 2012 to 7th this year. See the article below courtesy of Around The Rings.

(ATR) Few individuals in the Olympic Movement wear as many hats as John Coates of Australia.

He has led the Australian Olympic Committee as its president across two decades, including the run-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Named an IOC member a year later, Coates has risen through the ranks to become a vice president, elected at the session in Buenos Aires in September.

Since 2012 Coates has been president of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, a prestigious post that takes advantage of his background as an attorney and sports leader.

That Coates is an ally of IOC President Thomas Bach can be clearly seen in the Australian’s appointment as chairman of the coordination commission for Tokyo 2020, the first chairmanship to be named by the new IOC president.

With changes coming to the Tokyo metropolitan government and perhaps a bout of buyer’s remorse in Japan, Coates will be an important emissary from the IOC to keep plans for 2020 moving forward. Coates turns 64 in May and can serve six more years under the current IOC rules for retirement, just long enough to finish the job in Tokyo.

2013 ranking: 18

Reported by Mark Bisson