The Swiss, winner of an Olympic bronze medal in the coxed fours at Mexico City 1968, has held the position since 1989.

He will seek re-election at the next FISA Congress on September 2, which is being held in conjunction with the World Championships in Chungju, South Korea. 

But it will only be for a "transitional period" of six to eight months while he grooms his successor. 

FISA's ruling Council had agreed to a plan to stage the election of Oswald's successor at the same Congress in order to assist the newly elected President-elect in the transfer of knowledge and introductions around in the international sports world after having held the position for so long.


National Federations have been set the deadline of June 2 to identify possible candidates and declare them to FISA.

A new requirement, passed at the FISA Extraordinary Congress in Copenhagen,was that candidates for the position of President, vice-president and treasurer must have been a delegate or Council member in attendance at the FISA Congress and/or have competed at the World Rowing Championships or Olympic or Paralympic Games, a minimum of four times

The 65-year-old Oswald, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1991, last year steppd down as head of Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and was replaced by Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation. 

Oswald is considering running to replace Jacques Rogge as President of the IOC when the Belgian steps down later this year.

Oswald, a lawyer, would be coming off the back of last year's Olympics in London, for which he was the chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission. 

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