IOC vice president John Coates clears up Tokyo Olympics demand to Annastacia ...

IOC vice president John Coates has hit back at allegations he was 'mansplaining' when he ordered Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

Coates has insisted he is not 'anti-women' after making the awkward demand of Ms Palaszczuk during a press conference last Wednesday.

The Queensland premier had declared she would not attend the opening ceremony as she faced mounting backlash over her trip to Japan while her state continues to enforce hard border closures to international arrivals.

Mr Coates claimed Ms Palaszczuk approached him before the press conference and asked him to help her find a way to take the edge off the public pressure for her to give the event a miss. 

'She said to me: "Give me a hand, John, will you?",' he told The Australian.

'So I did. She's my very good friend. I might have done it too crudely. But I thought if I did it crudely, I would be taking the hit for her.'

Speaking at the press conference on Wednesday, Mr Coates turned to Ms Palaszczuk to order her to attend the ceremony.

'You are going to the opening ceremony,' he said. 'There will be an opening and a closing ceremony in 2032 and all of you, everyone there, has got to understand the traditional parts of that.

'None of you are staying home and sitting in your room.'  

Mr Coates is one of the most influential figures in international sport and is commonly described as the second most powerful figurehead in the International Olympic Committee behind president Thomas Bach.  

The Sydney-born administrator and businessman has twice served as vice president of the International Olympic Committee and was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2006.

Ms Palaszczuk watched on in awkward silence as the powerbroker told her she had 'never been to an opening ceremony' and didn't 'know the protocols'.