A groundswell of Olympians are backing Danni Roche for the AOC presidency, the nation's most successful female rower says.
Kate Allen (nee Slatter) says many ex-athletes want Roche to win the presidency from John Coates in Saturday's election.
"She has got so much support from so many athletes that want her to get up," Allen told AAP on Friday.
Allen, a 1996 Olympic gold medallist, believes athletes of her time - now aged in their mid 40s - has been shut out of the AOC under Coates.
"A lot of people in my generation would love to be more involved ... there is a generation of athletes who want to make a difference," she said.
And with Australia's Olympic status slipping in the latter years of Coates' 27-year tenure as president, Allen has called for change.
"We all need to look at ourselves every now and then," she said.
"You can't just repeat the same-old, same-old, and expect the same results when the whole world is changing.
"Everyone copied Australia. We were really innovative in the 80s and 90s and we were at the forefront of our game.
"And everyone else caught us and started copying us."
Allen says Coates' contribution could not be diminished.
"I'll be really honest, I cannot thank Coatesy enough for what he has done in my career," the 16-time national champion said.
"He has been amazing ... I can't fault him.
"I can't fault the AOC, they were in their prime.
"But he's been there 30 years, it has been so long."
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