Mollekleiv, a former President of the Norwegian Red Cross, is one of two challengers to incumbent Tvedt at the meeting in Lillehammer.

They are joined in a three-way battle for the top sporting job in Norway by Berit Kjøll, chief executive of Huawei Norway.

Mollekleiv is considered the front-runner after the NIF Nominations Committee chose the 64-year-old as its preferred candidate earlier this year.

The Nominations Committee's choice dealt a considerable blow to Tvedt, elected NIF President in 2015.

But his candidacy was resurrected by the Norwegian Swimming Federation, which nominated him for re-election earlier this month.

Tvedt's tenure has been riddled by criticism despite Norway's sporting success in his time at the helm of the NIF.

The 51-year-old politician has been embroiled in an expenses scandal related to the use of public funds by NIF officials when he was a member of the board.

In his opening speech at the General Assembly, Tvedt claimed he had been "spat at on the street" after the allegations, which includes claims the NIF spent lavishly on bottles of wine and expensive dinners at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, were made public.

"I have been accused of having hidden away accounts – something you all know is nonsense – and I've occasionally been driven quite far down," he said.

"I have still been in it because my team spirit and my sporting pleasure are so much larger."

Mollekleiv, 64, has previously worked for the NIF as an assistant secretary general and also served as director of marketing at the Norwegian Football Association.

He was secretary general of the Norwegian Red Cross from 1991 to 2001 before becoming President from 2008 to 2017.

"I have always been part of sport and will help strengthen the voluntary movement and sports teams so that everyone can participate independently of their ambitions and conditions," he told Dagbladet.

Kjøll has a wealth of experience in business and has been chief executive of the Tusenfryd amusement park and rail transport company Flytoget.

The 63-year-old was also chairperson of the Norwegian Tourist Association from 2012 to 2018.

"Cooperation and good division of roles between the NIF, the sports circles and the special federations is an important issue for me," she said in an interview with Dagbladet.

"The special federations are independent and do an important and good job of developing their own sports."

All three candidates have been lobbying the 164 delegates who have a vote in tomorrow's election today.