The legendary coach who directed the Hockeyroos to Olympic gold twice, including 1996 when Roche was part of the campaign, has questioned her sports administration "competence" and "capacity".

Roche was restrained in her response to Fairfax Media on Tuesday night, when she said: "When I was in the Hockeyroos 20 years ago, Ric was an exceptional coach, and I have the utmost respect for him. I have had very little interaction with Ric in the past two decades, and not in a sporting administration or business capacity."

Charlesworth is well aware that Roche is an Australian Sports Commission director, sits on the board of AFL club St Kilda and sat on Hockey Australia's board for seven years but told Fairfax Media: "All of those positions are a result of patronage".

"He [Coates] is totally devoted to the organisation, the sports and supportive of the Olympic movement," Charlesworth continued.

"And he's being challenged by somebody who I'm not sure what her qualifications or record are in sports administration.

"Of course there's a time [when Coates will be replaced] ... and maybe it's coming to that time ... but I don't think we have a stellar candidate here [in Roche] if you measure the two as the sports are going to have to do when they vote."

Citing examples of witnessing first hand Coates' unique sporting know-how, Charlesworth said his opinion on Roche was not based on any past antagonism.

The pair saw each other at a 20-year reunion of the Hockeyroos' Atlanta Olympic gold last year and Charlesworth described their relationship as "bland".

In contrast, Charlesworth believes Coates remains "a very capable, efficient, smart administrator totally devoted to the Olympics".

"He was the one who was pivotal in the [Australian] Olympic organisation having its independence, then he was a pivotal person of course in obtaining the Sydney Olympics.

"And since that time he's totally devoted to the organisation, the sports and supportive of the Olympic movement," Charlesworth said.

An Australian Sports Commission board member between 1994-97 and Western Australian Institute of Sport director for two tints, 1984-92 and 2001-2005, Charlesworth describes himself as "semi-retired".

Charlesworth described the tension between Coates and ASC head John Wylie as a "sideshow", even if "a bad look ... that creates the wrong impression because I think, in essence, these two organisations have the same goal". He said it was more important the chief executives of the AOC and ASC have a healthy, functioning relationship.