Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander...

The former head of the committee Leonid Tyagachev resigned on March 23 after Russia"s poor showing at this year"s Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Russia ended a disappointing 11th place in the overall medals table, winning three golds, five silvers and seven bronzes. The southern Russian town of Sochi will host the next Winter Games in 2014.

Zhukov"s appointment has already been approved by the heads of the committee and several sports federations. It has also been commended by the Russian government.

Tyagachev earlier suggested that a deputy prime minister might become the committee"s new president and Zhukov is one of the most likely candidates.

Alexander Zhukov is the president of the Russian Chess Federation and chairman of the Supervisory Board of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

The new president will have a difficult task ahead of them as the Russian government is putting pressure on the 2014 winter Olympic team to finish first place in medals

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