Juan Antonio Samaranch, left, and Ser Miang Ng, have taken over role on the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission ©Getty Images

Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch will take over as interim chair of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing following the suspension of Russia's Alexander Zhukov, it has been announced.

Singapore's Ser Miang Ng has also been added as a permanent member of the panel to replace Dmitry Chernyshenko, who has been "withdrawn" by the IOC.

The decisions were approved by the IOC Executive Board here on the second day of their meeting.

Both Zhukov, also an IOC member and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Chernyshenko, former President and chief executive of the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee, were sanctioned here yesterday as part of the IOC's response to the Russian doping scandal.

Neither were directly implicated personally in wrongdoing but were punished due to the responsibility of their respective organisations to avoid damaging the integrity of the Olympic Games.

Both Russians were appointed to the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission by the IOC in February 2016, despite two World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned reports into Russian doping in athletics having already been published. 

Suspicions about a state-run doping programme at Sochi 2014 were also beginning to circulate. 

Ex-Sochi 2014 President and chief executive Dimitry Chernyshenko, left, has been sacked as a member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission while Alexander Zhukov, centre, has been suspended as an IOC member ©Getty Images
Ex-Sochi 2014 President and chief executive Dimitry Chernyshenko, left, has been sacked as a member of the Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission while Alexander Zhukov, centre, has been suspended as an IOC member ©Getty Images

Zhukov has been suspended so could potentially return to the role, although this would be dependent on him successfully standing for a fresh term as ROC President at elections due to take place next April. 

The last IOC Coordination Commission visit to Beijing 2022 took place in June earlier this year. 

Zhukov missed an IOC Project Review that took place in Beijing last month. 

Chernyshenko is now the President of the Kontinental Hockey League and released a statement in this capacity last month in which he accused the IOC of "destroying the existing sports world order" by considering threatening Russia with neutral participation at Pyeongchang 2018.

He is also the chairman of the Board at Gazprom-Media, Russia's largest media holding.

Samaranch, one of four current IOC vice-presidents, took over as head of the IOC delegation during their Coordination Commission inspection in October 2016 when Zhukov had to leave early.

His father, the former IOC President also called Juan Antonio Samaranch, was instrumental in supporting Beijing being awarded the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in 2001.