Carlos Nuzman is resigning as President of the South American regional body ©Getty Images

Carlos Nuzman is planning to further reduce his international influence by stepping down as President of the South American Sports Organization (ODESUR).

He has called for an election to select a new Board of the regional body.

It is currently expected that these elections will take place in either July or August.

The Brazilian suffered a surprise defeat in the first round of the election for the new President of the the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) last month. 

Nuzman initially finished tied for second place in a General Assembly held in Punte del Este in Uruguay before losing a run-off against eventual winner Neven Ilic of Chile.

The 75-year-old was visibly disappointed by this outcome and is thought to have begun a rethink over his other roles.

He remains President of the Organising Committee for last year's Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, a role where he remains active dealing with various problems relating to fulfilling financial contracts associated with the Games.

Nuzman is also President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

He is an honorary member of the IOC after passing the age limit of 70 in 2012. 

Brazil's Carlos Nuzman bid unsuccessfully to become President of PASO last month ©ITG
Brazil's Carlos Nuzman bid unsuccessfully to become President of PASO last month ©ITG

According to journalist Bruno Voloch, in his blog in Estadão, Nuzman informed his ODESUR colleagues of his decision to stand down in a conference call before officially notifying them in a letter.

ODESUR is a 14-member regional body responsible for organising the South American Games.

It is not yet clear who is being maneuvered to replace Nuzman.

ODESUR first vice-president José Quiñones has been banned by Peru's sports court from holding any public post for five years because of alleged irregularities in accounts he controlled.

He did not stand to continue as a PASO Executive Committee member last month and seems unlikely to stand for the ODESUR role.

Other potential contenders include Camilo Perez Lopez Moreira and Baltazar Medina, the respective Presidents of the Paraguayan and Colombian Olympic Committees.

PASO second vice-president Mario Moccia, an Argentine Olympic Committee Executive Committee member, who also heads the Pan American Handball Federation, is another possibility.