But Johnson says Australia ‘‘lost its way’’ before a meltdown at the London Olympics and the system needed an overhaul to reinvigorate the country’s plans to dominate world sport.

American running great Johnson and seven-time rugby league premiership-winning coach Bennett were in Canberra on Wednesday for the second World Class to World Best conference.

The federal government and ASC launched Winning Edge last year – a 10-year program that radically changed the funding structure and goals for Australian elite sports.

Australia sent a team of 410 athletes to London last year for a return of seven gold medals, its worst Olympic Games performance since 1992.

‘‘Change is a good thing and needed to reinvigorate sports ... then it’s just a matter of making sure you don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,’’ four-time Olympic gold medallist Johnson said.

‘‘Australia’s performance in London that was below where they previously had been caught my attention.

‘‘That’s why these changes in place are appropriate to turn things back around.

‘‘As long as it’s the right change, it’s good. It comes down to how the system is being implemented.’’

Winning Edge has a goal of a top-five finish on the medal tally at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The ASC is trying to create a network of sharing coaching, technical and leadership expertise to help sports officials and coaches get results on the world stage.

Johnson, 46, is an eight-time world champion, still holds the 400-metre world record and won gold medals at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

Bennett has been travelling internationally since 1988 to canvass ideas to help his coaching.

‘‘Australian sport has been under as much pressure as ever in the last 12-18 months,’’ Bennett said.

‘‘Olympic sports and the different football codes. Leadership has been the real issue with it all and we’ve lost our way a little bit.

‘‘We have to get it back. The sports have to clean their acts up, the onus is back on them to perform,’’ he said.

Bennett said one of the major challenges for coaches was handling different personalities in teams.

Bennett has been coaching since 1976 and led the Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra to premierships. ‘‘I’m still learning how to handle myself better and how to handle players better,’’ Bennett said. ‘‘If I can do that, it gives them a chance to do better so they can be world best. That’s how it works.

‘‘It’s the little things ... you’re always looking for the right answer. If you make a mistake, you have to learn from it and not make it again.

‘‘The difference between world class and world best is the difference between coming second or coming first.’’

Organisers also recruited commandant of the Royal Military College Brigadier Dianne Gallasch and Western Bulldogs AFL coach Brendan McCartney to join sports scientist specialists in breaking down barriers.

‘‘You have to go through the worst to get the best out of people,’’ Brigadier Gallasch said.

‘‘The military don’t go into the nice places, they go into the worst places and that’s when leadership is tested.’’