The list is headed by Mikhail Butov, currently general secretary of the ARAF and a member of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ruling Council.

The 54-year-old, fluent in English and German, is the favourite to replace Valentin Balakhnichev, who stood down as head of the ARAF in February following allegations made by German broadcaster ARD that he was involved in covering-up drugs tests involving Russian athletes,

Balakhnichev, who failed to attend a hearing of the IAAF Ethics Commission in London this week, was temporarily replaced by as President by Vadim Zelichenok, who is not among the candidates at the election due to take place in Moscow on January 16. 

Svetlana Masterkova, the double Olympic 800 and 1500 metres gold medallist at Atlanta 1996, who had touted as a possible candidate, is not among those who have put themselves forward for the role.

Aleksandr Shustov, the 2010 European high jump champion, however, is among those standing.

The other candidates are Dmitry Shlyakhtin, Minister of Sport of the Samara Oblast region, and Maxim  Karamashev, a former distance runner from Khakassia.

Whoever is elected, however, will only serve in the position for eight months before fresh elections are held after next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which Russia are in danger of missing after being suspended by the IAAF last month following the publication of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission report, which found evidence of state-supported doping.

Butov, competitions director of the IAAF World Championships 2013 in Moscow, appears to be the obvious choice to take over and will offer a bridge between the ARAF and IAAF as negotiations begin to have the suspension lifted in time for Rio 2016. 

Questions, however, will inevitably be asked as to how much he knew about what was allegedly going on within the ARAF as he was their marketing director as far back as 2004. 

Butov is also one of 16 candidates for the vice-president's role.

Others include Tatyana Lebedeva, the Olympic long jump champion at Athens 2004. 

The 39-year-old from Sterlitamak also won four other Olympic medals, three silver and a bronze, as well as three World Championship titles.

Lebedeva is also one of 46 candidates for the Executive Committee.

Others on the list include Anna Chicherova, winner of an Olympic gold medal in the high jump at London 2012.

The elections are due to take place a day after the IAAF Commission investigating the ARAF completes its first five-day visit to Moscow.

The announcement that the IAAF group would be visiting between January 10 and 15 followed a meeting of the Provisional Coordinating Committee on Cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IAAF set up by the Russian Olympic Committee.

"Chairman Gennady Alyoshin delivered a report to the members of the Committee on the already implemented measures and the future plans on cooperation of all involved Russian sports structures with the IAAF inspection group," a statement from the ROC said.

"A visit of the IAAF Commission to Moscow has been scheduled for January 10-15."

The statement revealed a new draft Charter of the ARAF had been agreed upon and sent to the IAAF for approval.

The draft document is expected to be published soon on the official website of the ARAF.

"The Provisional Coordinating Committee also approved provisions on a Disciplinary Committee as well as on the Investigative Committee," the ROC statement said.

"The ARAF was also recommended to adopt the Code of Ethics.

"All documents will be forwarded to the IAAF in the nearest future."

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