Incumbent Denis Masseglia, 69, has held the post since 2009, but faces opposition from two younger opponents - David Douillet, 48, the double Olympic judo champion, and Isabelle Lamour, 52, President of the French Fencing Federation (FFE).

A total of 108 votes, the vast majority held by national sports federations, are eligible to be cast in a contest whose outcome should be known by the afternoon.

If no candidate achieves a majority in the opening round, a second ballot will be held involving the two top-scoring runners.

Lamour, FFE President since 2013, was in the French fencing team for a decade, taking part in the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Olympics.

She is married to Jean-François Lamour, a double Olympic fencing champion and, like Douillet, a former French Sports Minister.

Douillet, probably the best-known of the trio in international circles, won gold at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympics, in the men's +95 kilogram and +100kg weight divisions respectively.

He also won a bronze in the +95kg category at Barcelona 1992 and has four world championship titles to his name.

The new President will scarcely have time to get their feet under the table before members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Evaluation Commission arrive in the French capital on Sunday (May 14) to conduct their inspection of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic bid.

Following the withdrawal of three other candidates, Paris now faces only one rival, Los Angeles, in a race scheduled to culminate in September at the IOC Session in Lima.

Among those with votes in the CNOSF election are Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet, France’s IOC members, and Gwladys Epangue and Fabien Gilot, recently-elected co-presidents of the elite athletes’ commission.

Epangue and Gilot replaced Estanguet and Isabelle Severino.

The CNOSF vote will be taking place four days after Emmanuel Macron defeated the National Front's Marine Le Pen in the French Presidential election.