Mario Vázquez Raña's passing leaves a void at the heart of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO).

Not only was the 82-year-old Mexican, as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach put it this week, still heading PASO "even until his last moments", he had been President almost half his life, having assumed the role in 1975, year of Margaret Thatcher's election as leader of Britain's Conservative party and the fall of Saigon.

When the Presidency of a body has not changed hands for that long, it is almost inevitable that uncertainty will ensue once the era finally does end.

But with major international events and meetings planned for the Americas in every one of the next four years - including the little matter of South America's first Olympic Games - it is in everyone's interest that this uncertain period does not drag on.

This is my assessment of what the next few months might hold in store.

Mario Vázquez Raña had held his post as PASO President since 1975 ©Getty Images



In his capacity as first vice-president - tasked by statute with substituting for the President "if the necessity arises" - Ivar Sisniega, 56, another Mexican, will probably take over the reins once the initial shock has subsided.

With his consensual style and bilingualism, he appears well-equipped to act as interim leader while his PASO colleagues ponder the course they now want to plot.

Regional sports leaders will presumably gather in Mexico at some point soon to celebrate the life of one of the last Big Beasts of Samaranch-era sports politics.

As a practical step, it might make sense to hold at least an informal meeting of the PASO Executive Committee at that juncture.

The chief aim would be to secure agreement that no-one will rock the boat ahead of the Toronto 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games in July and August; ensuring that these are as successful as possible must be the current priority.

That presupposes no leadership contest at the General Assembly that will precede those Games.

With regime change such a rare phenomenon at PASO, it will not, of course, be possible to stop campaigning from getting under way well before the summer; indeed it already has.

But it will be vital to avoid major distractions that could shift focus away from the Games and efforts to ensure that as many big name athletes as possible participate in them.

Sisniega, who is mentioned by some as a possible long-term successor as PASO President, could in theory serve out the remainder of Vázquez Raña's final term, remaining in situ until 2016 with no new election.

This clearly could give him maximum scope for establishing his leadership credentials.

Brazils Carlos Nuzman is seen as a leading candidate to succeed Mario Vázquez Raña ©Getty Images





But it might suit others as well: if I were Brazil's Carlos Nuzman, who is seen as a leading candidate to succeed Vázquez Raña, for example, I imagine I might prefer for the PASO election to be delayed until after Rio 2016 has dazzled the world.

The other leading potential candidate, along with Nuzman and Sisniega, is thought to be José Joaquín Puello of the Dominican Republic.

While both he and Nuzman are in their 70s, it is suggested that a transition candidate to prepare the way for the next long-term leader might be no bad thing, as PASO is transformed from a creature, essentially, of a single individual into something much more modern and transparent.

As yet, though, the situation seems quite fluid, with the name of Richard Peterkin, the business-minded and approachable IOC member from Saint Lucia, one of a number to surface when other alternative potential candidates are discussed.

If the United States or Canada were to propose a candidate, moreover, it is widely accepted that their chances of winning would have to be taken very seriously.

While the election could be delayed until next year, there may well be considerable pressure, given that PASO has been ruled by one man for fully four decades, for a contest to be held during the last four months of 2015; on balance, this seems perhaps the likelier alternative.

This brings us to another element of uncertainty: voting entitlements.

At present, as it was explained to me, each of the 41 PASO National Olympic Committees (NOCs) has a vote, and an extra vote is granted for each time a country has hosted the Pan American Games.

St Lucia's Richard Peterkin is considered an outside candidate to become the new PASO President and replace Mario Vázquez Raña ©Getty Images



This, of course, increases the voting power of larger nations, particularly Mexico, which has hosted on three occasions.

A statute review process is, however, in train.

At the recent PASO General Assembly in Puerto Vallarta, it emerged that an Executive Committee meeting to discuss this would take place in March.

Whether this meeting now goes ahead remains to be seen.

I suspect that the issue may prove all the more delicate to resolve now that an election is on the horizon: if one candidate surmises that reform would work in his or her favour, it stands to reason that a rival would probably conclude the opposite.

Should a straight one country one vote system be adopted, the influence of PASO's Caribbean members in particular would be increased, especially if they were to vote en bloc.

But if change cannot be agreed, the status quo, presumably, would prevail, to the advantage of candidates favoured by the larger countries.

You sense that strong leadership may be required if the optimum system for PASO is to be identified and driven through at a time when emotions may well be running high.

Irrespective, it is clear that a period of extensive and significant change for PASO is about to get under way.

Discussing this with regional sports leaders in recent weeks, it is apparent that one of the most widely-anticipated changes is a future switch in the location of the organisation's headquarters.

Miami is widely cited as the most likely new base.

David Owen worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup and London 2012. Owen's Twitter feed can be accessed here.