And how will he first enjoy that newfound freedom? Why, by returning to the IPC for another three months or so to oversee the transition of the new person at the helm…

Craven may not be flavour of the month, or even the year, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

A passionately delivered announcement in Rio de Janeiro last year, just two days after the Olympic Opening Ceremony, suspended Russia from the Paralympic Movement until such time as its doping activity was proven to have ceased. This earned him whatever are the opposite of brownie points with the German.

But you get a clear sense that the straight-talking 67-year-old former wheelchair basketball world champion from Bolton is still managing to soldier on somehow in a life that has been devoted to Paralympic sport, as a competitor and then administrator, for more than 45 years.

There were many highly experienced, and dare one suggest highly sceptical, media representatives at that Rio press conference on August 7. 

But the manner in which Craven delivered the IPC's ruling, insisting the Russian Government had "catastrophically failed" its Para-athletes, and adding that "their medals over morals mentality disgusts me", caused a palpable shockwave in the room.

Here, for once, amidst the vast swath of nonsensical news gatherings, was a press conference in which something difficult but important was being articulated by an international sports leader actually speaking from the heart.

As he surveys his 16-year tenure of the IPC's top job, does Craven believe that stand taken in Rio - which many regarded as brave - will come to define his Presidency?

"I hope not," he responds. "It wasn’t a question of bravery - I felt confident in saying what I did at that press conference because I knew I had the unanimous backing of my Board. They were all adamant that we should stick to our principles, the most important of which is the belief in fair play.

"It had to be said. A line had to be drawn in the sand. But it wasn't me saying it, it was the entire Board of the IPC. We also had great pro bono support from a brilliant team of solicitors. That decision had to be taken - we made the decision, we had to stick by it."

In recent weeks, some statements by prospective new candidates for his Presidency have hinted that the cost to the IPC, in terms of its relations with the IOC, and in terms of the disruption caused by the Russian suspension, may have been excessive. It has hinted at a change of mood, and perhaps even direction.

Does Craven believe the cost of the IPC stance has been too great? 

"Not at all," he responds. "I don’t think so. 

"The Board has continued to show the same unanimity. At May's Board meeting we registered that some progress had been made by Russia, but the ball is still in their court in terms of getting to the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics next year. Words are easy to say - we need to see action.

"We have a task-force that is working with the NPC of Russia on a road-map of how to go forward. But if it's not achieved in time, there cannot be any change.

"Relations between Mr Bach and myself have not been at their best. Although in effect the decision of the IOC was very similar to ours except in the fact of who had to deal with the situation, with the IOC deciding that was down to International Federations rather than the IOC itself.

"I don't think either body is saying this is something we can condone.

"Maybe the fact that I announced our position just a couple of days before the start of the Olympic Games in Rio wasn't best appreciated by the IOC. 

"But it wasn't a question that could be put off and decided upon later. 

"The decision had to be made in time for the Paralympics, giving sufficient time for Russia's appeal process to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport."

As things turned out the Russian appeal was rejected on August 23, two days after the Olympics finished and well in time for the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympics on September 7.

"But in all of this," Craven adds, "I was very confident because of the complete backing I had from the Board. I think it was the correct decision."

Craven's joy at the overwhelming success of the London 2012 Paralympics is a matter of record.

But there have been other key moments for him in his long years of leadership - notably in November 2005, within the vast confines of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, when he met China's Premier, Wen Jiabao.

"I don't think the Paralympics were going in any strong positive direction at that time, with less than three years to go until the Games in Beijing," he recalls.

"That meeting was supposed to have lasted for 15 minutes. 

"In fact we ended up talking for almost three quarters of an hour, and all we were speaking about was what sport could do for society.

"That was the point where, if you like, the Paralympic space rocket took off in Beijing. 

"It was a transformative moment for the Paralympic Movement.

Looking back from his position now, one wonders how he views the development of the IPC.

"I have seen a transformation in the International Paralympic Committee," he says. “When I became President there was a very strong disability orientation to the Movement. Now the emphasis is very different, very positive, and we are one of the most respected sports organisations around.

"Our operation is based on strong governance, honesty and straight talking. That's what I'm about.

"When I started as President we had nine members of staff in our Bonn office.

"That number has grown to more than 100 across a range of cities.

"What we have always done is to stick to our core vision and values, with aspiration being one of the key things. We have been making continual progress through sport towards creating a more inclusive society, which is good for everyone.  

"We are not about money, we are about sport. That is as it should be.

"The Paralympic Games themselves have become a high-performance sporting event as part of a two-Games, one-city model. This is partly a product of the developing relationship with the IOC - although that is sometimes a slightly rocky road."

So what direction does he imagine the IPC taking in future years, along that same rocky road?

"There will be a new President, and a number of new Board members - I presume anything could happen,”" Craven said. 

"But I only recently came back from the European Paralympic Committee's General Assembly in Poland, and I sensed there was a great desire to continue in a similar direction to the one that has been taken over the last 16 years. But with regard to the suspension of the Russian NPC - that won’t be up to me."

In the wake of last year's Paralympics, the IPC was obliged to conduct a "thorough examination" of 16 Rio swimmers to check they had been correctly classified for competition. 

Recently, too, UK Athletics conducted its own enquiry into possible abuses regarding classification, and concluded that the system was "open to exploitation".

So how does Craven believe things stand now in broad terms?

"Classification is, in the majority of cases, a jewel in the crown of the Paralympic Movement, but it is also our Achilles heel," he said.

"We have been able to put increasing amounts of money into key research into all three main classification areas, to do with the visually impaired, the intellectually impaired and those with physical disabilities.

"It's an ongoing process - we have to work constantly to ensure that the process is working accurately in all areas of our sport. We have come a long, long way in terms of our classification code - but let's not kid ourselves. Athlete classification will remain as one of the hot topics with regard to the Paralympic Movement. As will the need for athletes not to dope in sport.

"I think these two issues are of similar importance, and they will continue to be so. We have to be strong, and to invest in dealing with both areas, which is something we are now more capable of doing. When I came into this job 16 years ago, we had very little money to do anything in these areas.

"One of the biggest tasks for the new Board will be to manage the growth of the IPC. It is important that the principles we have maintained for the last 16 years are not affected in that process.

"We are a sport organisation that believes itself to be a business with a volunteer ethic. We are not a business that has sport as a product.

"That is one of the reasons why I am so excited about the role the Agitos Foundation has been able to play in our sport since it was established in 2012.”

And does the outgoing President have any advice for the incoming President, whoever that may turn out to be?

"The new President will have to continue to strengthen our relationship with the IOC, and to establish a relationship with the President of the IOC," he said. "But some of the candidates already are known to Mr Bach.

"Since Rio, we have been working at Board level to develop the new long-term agreement with the IOC made in June last year which goes up to 2032. That has primarily involved our chief executive and senior staff working with the IOC director general Christophe De Kepper and his staff. There was also a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Thomas Bach and ourselves.

"If I was asked to offer the candidates for the IPC Presidency any advice, I would refer them to some things we have seen recently in British politics and say you have got to be yourself. If you try to be something you are not, people will weigh you up immediately. They will say to themselves 'what the heck is going on with this woman, or this man?' And they won’t trust them.

"Whoever gets the IPC Presidency needs to know that it is eight-days-a-week, as The Beatles sang. If you are not ready to devote that amount of time to the job, it is not going to work.

"One thing I am very pleased about is that after the vote on September 8 I will be around for probably three months assisting and helping the new President into the transition. 

There was nothing like that when I started 16 years ago. It was a case of 'here it is, mate. Get on with it.'"