The RPC has elected Pavel Rozhkov as its new President ©Getty Images

Pavel Rozhkov has been elected as the President of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), running for the position unopposed after spending a year as the Acting President of the organisation.

The 64-year-old was officially welcomed into the role after the RPC reporting and election conference in Podolsk.

Previously, he was in charge on a temporary basis due to his predecessor Vladimir Lukin stepping down in March 2021.

Lukin was forced to resign due to the ruling made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which banned Russian Government officials from holding positions within Russian sports and International Federations.

This ruling led to International University Sports Federation President Oleg Matytsin stepping aside for the two-year period that the suspension covers.

Pavel Rozhkov, right, has been elected as the new President of the RPC, succeeding Vladimir Lukin, left ©Getty Images
Pavel Rozhkov, right, has been elected as the new President of the RPC, succeeding Vladimir Lukin, left ©Getty Images

CAS' ruling means the Russian flag, anthem and its athletes will be neutral following the findings of state-sponsored doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency initially implemented a four-year suspension, but this was halved by CAS.

Other sanctions include the prohibition of major sporting events taking place in Russia from December 2020 to 2022, while bidding for future competitions is also banned.

Lukin had led the RPC for 25 years since January 1996 and had been re-elected in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.