The trouble is, given the autocratic nature of the Olympic Movement, that the opposite remains the prevailing trend.

Of the 20 Presidential elections in Federations governed by sports on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic programme scheduled for this year - either those planned for 2021 or delayed because of COVID-19 - just five, at the time of writing, will have either been or have been contested.

That number is likely to grow as the basket case that is the International Weightlifting Federation has set its long-awaited election for December 2 and 3, and it is likely more than one candidate enters the fray for a role best described as a poisoned chalice.

Only two of the 20, the International Hockey Federation and the International Gymnastics Federation, will have seen the existing President challenged.

The other three involved more than one candidate largely because the incumbent has stepped down or is leaving their post.

A total of 11 Presidents will have been given their current term unopposed by year’s end, a statistic which highlights how the Movement has some way to go before it can reach the good governance standards it claims to achieve on a regular basis.

It is feasible the heads of the three other Federations with elections in 2021 - World Rowing, World Skate and the International Fencing Federation - will join that list as it will not be a surprise to see them sworn back into office unanimously.

Should that come to pass, it will mean only 30 per cent of Olympic IF elections in 2021 will have involved an actual vote and not a pre-determined outcome masked as one.

While the number of contested elections has increased in recent times, there is undoubtedly work to be done at those Federations where the culture is such that officials are seemingly fearful of testing the status quo.

Take the International Modern Pentathlon Union for example. Its President Klaus Schormann has been in charge for 28 years, or, in Olympic terms, seven Summer Games cycles.

At the end of another four-year term, which he will be clapped into next month, Schormann will have been UIPM President for more than three decades.

He is the longest-serving President of any Olympic Federation, which is perhaps not the badge of honour he believes it to be.

Surely, with the UIPM at a crossroads and still reeling from the negative headlines at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, there is someone out there who believes they could do a better job?

Perhaps they just do not feel they stand a chance, and they may not even win. After all, Schormann is "a champion of athleticism, inclusion, innovation and heritage", according to the German official’s biography in the Hall of Fame section on the UIPM's official website.

The biography, propaganda even the International Olympic Committee would be proud of, goes on to state how Schormann "continues to lead UIPM with energy, creativity, wisdom and authority, building a truly impressive legacy of his own".

"His leadership and diplomacy skills have been critical factors in preserving the status of modern pentathlon as a core sport in the Summer Olympic Games," it adds.

Having someone stand up to the leadership, challenge the administration and present a new way of thinking at least gives the perception of democracy, even if they are little more than a patsy candidate with next to no chance of success.

Often the reason why we see official after official extend their terms with barely a whiff of discontent is because there are no rules in place to prevent them from doing so.

Term limits were a must years ago. The fact there are dozens of Federations without them says everything you need to know.

The phrase "turkeys voting for Christmas" springs to mind.

Even those with such limits regularly delay their introduction to ensure the incumbent can cling on to power for a little while longer. Yes we will change, but not just yet.

Of course, not all of those who have enjoyed lengthy tenures as President of their respective organisations have performed poorly. Federations often claim that the reason they have stayed so long is testament to what they have achieved, and the lack of challengers shows how fine a job they are doing.

But it also exudes a negative image at a time where IFs are constantly urged to re-energise their administration and innovate if they are to survive. Having Presidents hang around for decades hardly adheres to that.

It is little wonder the sceptics and cynics among us roll our eyes when a press release confirming an incumbent is standing unopposed drops into our inboxes.

While there are examples of how new is not always better, a refresh at the UIPM, and countless other sports bodies within the Olympic Movement, is long overdue.