The Russian Paralympic Committee is set to be run by Pavel Rozhkov ©Getty Images

The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) looks set to be led by Pavel Rozhkov in future, as the Acting President is the only candidate for the head position at the upcoming elections.

Rozhkov has been in the position since March 30 last year, when he replaced Vladimir Lukin.

Lukin, who was in charge of the RPC since 1997, resigned as President last year because of the anti-doping sanctions placed on the country.

Part of the two-year sanctions handed out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) - halving the initial four-year suspension from the World Anti-Doping Agency - required him to step down.

Under the terms of the CAS decision, Russian Government officials are prohibited from serving on sports bodies until December 2022.

At the time, Lukin was the deputy chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Vladimir Lukin, left, pictured with his soon-to-be successor Pavel Rozhkov, right ©Getty Images
Vladimir Lukin, left, pictured with his soon-to-be successor Pavel Rozhkov, right ©Getty Images

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin was forced to step down as President of the International University Sports Federation to remain in line with the sanctions.

TASS, Russia's official state news agency, reported that Rozhkov would stand unopposed for the position of RPC President, with elections scheduled for Friday (March 25) in Podolsk.

Rozhkov was the first vice-president before becoming Acting President.

Lukin recently resigned from his supervisory Board role as a shareholder representative at travel company TUI recently, due to sanctions implemented following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He has also ended his relationship with Russian company SeverGroup, where he was special adviser and chief executive.

The RPC were banned from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games alongside their Belarusian counterparts, due to their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.