Pound, the IOC's longest-serving member having joined the organisation in 1978 and who is due to turn 76 next month, has already been rebuked in a letter distributed among the entire membership by Australia's John Coates.

It followed his latest media interview where he had criticised the IOC leaderhip for its approach to the Russian doping crisis. 

insidethegames exclusively reported yesterday that Coates wrote a letter to Pound in which the Australian claimed he does not "enjoy the respect normally afforded to the holder" of the IOC doyen position.

IOC Presidential spokesperson Mark Adams stopped short of openly endorsing Coates' comments today but did reiterate his position that Pound's views were not representative of the wider IOC.

"I think members talk to members and members send letters to members and this is a matter for them to discuss," Adams said.

"What’s clear from the letter that John Coates sent is that he wanted to remind Dick Pound that there had been a very full discussion on the full process the IOC had gone through with regard to clean Russian athletes taking part in these Games. 

"There was a vote on that and it was unanimous except for two abstentions, one of which was Dick Pound.

"I think John is pointing out that it does seem strange that the doyen of the IOC is describing this organisation as an organisation as ‘old farts’. 

"In the end, if you don’t like the coffee that’s served at the coffee shop, and you don’t like the décor and you don’t like the prices, then you maybe go to another coffee shop."

Adams insisted that the IOC are happy and used to facing criticism but did not completely rule out Pound facing IOC ethics proceedings for his comments.

"It’s good to have very good rich and full discussions on substantive matters," he said.

"It’s about policies not personalities and we are happy for people to raise their voices - it shows a healthy democracy.

"That [ethics proceedings against Pound] I couldn’t say at this stage. 

"I guess it may be a matter to look at, but it hasn’t been sent to the Ethics Commission as far as I know."

A headline in the London Evening Standard quoted Pound as saying that "Only athletes can scare IOC old farts into beating cheats", before a subheading claimed that IOC President Thomas Bach is "sending a bad message by rolling over".

The IOC Executive Board are due to decide on Saturday (February 24) whether Russian athletes are allowed to march under their own flag at the Closing Ceremony of Pyeongchang 2018.

They have competed as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia here as part of a sanction for the "systemic manipulation" of an anti-doping system at Sochi 2014.

The ban will only be lifted if they are ruled to have acted within the "spirit and letter" of the IOC conditions, something that appears increasingly unlikely after bronze medal winning curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii failed a drugs test for meldonium here.

Adams also insisted they are "very confident" that they will reach the required quorum of IOC members necessary to hold the final part of their Session on Sunday (February 25).

A majority plus one of the 100 members is required, so the IOC had originally said that this meant 51.

However, it was announced today that the required is 49 because three suspended or temporarily self-suspended members - Ireland's Patrick Hickey, Russia's Alexander Zhukov and Namibia's Frankie Fredericks - are not being counted.

Zhukov's suspension is part of the IOC sanction on Russia so it is still possible that it could have been lifted by the time of the Session on Sunday depending on what the Executive Board decides.

Britain's Adam Pengilly, the other IOC member to abstain on the Russia decision, is also absent as he returned home after an incident with a security guard. 

insidethegames understands that many IOC members have been cajoled into staying longer or returning here to ensure the quorum is reached.