Human rights advocates are demanding senior Olympics official John Coates raise the plight of fellow Australians jailed in China when he travels to Beijing later this month for the Winter Games.
Days before his visit, the Australian Olympic Committee president and International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president has praised the "amazing" preparations for the Beijing Games in an interview with Chinese state television in Sydney.
"I have very high regard of Chinese people and their ability of organising Olympic Games," Mr Coates told the Chinese Communist Party-controlled broadcaster CGTN.
"I was the chef de mission of the Australian team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which were a great success. My expectation is the Beijing Winter Olympic Games would be a similar success."
Human rights campaigners are using Mr Coates's impending trip to China to again urge him to advocate on behalf of Australians Yang Hengjun and Cheng Lei who have been detained by local authorities on vague espionage charges.
There are growing health fears for Dr Yang who has been held by authorities in China for three years. Fellow Chinese-Australian journalist Cheng Lei has been stuck in detention on national security grounds for 18 months.
Elaine Pearson, the Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said she would like to Mr Coates to use his access to Chinese officials to raise concerns about the cases at the highest levels.
"John Coates absolutely should be calling for the release of anyone arbitrarily detained in China including Australian citizens like Yang Hengjun and Cheng Lei," she said.
"Rather than using the Olympics as an opportunity to glorify the Chinese government, I mean actually the Olympic Games are an opportunity to put a spotlight right now [on the Australians' detention] and I think Australians need to be aware of that."
The view is shared by Independent South Australian senator Rex Patrick who has long called for a full Australian boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Australian government announced last year it would join a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics.
"John Coates should advocate for both Dr Yang and Cheng Lei whilst he is in China," Senator Patrick has told the ABC.
"At present he has greater access to Chinese leaders than our own ministers and he should put aside the big money interests of the IOC and take a clear stand on behalf of these Australians unjustly imprisoned in China."
In a statement, Mr Coates insisted the Australian Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee were politically neutral.
"It is not in our remit to involve ourselves outside our Games' responsibilities," Mr Coates told the ABC.
"I have no fears for the safety of any Australian participating in the Games," he added.
