Confusion over resignation of Russian Olympic Committee president

REPORTS that Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachyev had been forced from his post have yet to be confirmed with confusion mounting over his resignation.

UNDER-ACHIEVERS: The Russian team at the 2010 Winter Olympics under-performed, leading to reports Tyagachyev had resigned (Getty Images)

Russian media had reported yesterday that President Dmitry Medvedev's anger over his country's poor performance at the Vancouver Winter Olympics had led to Tyagachyev's resignation.

Medvedev had announced that ‘fat cat' sports bureaucrats should be fired or quit after only managing three gold medals compared to the 14 that home nation Canada picked up and the eight the Russians won at Turin 2006.

With the next Winter Olympics set to be hosted at the Black Sea resort of Sochi in 2014, Russian government officials have been looking to dish out the blame for Russia's 11th position in the medals table.

But Tyagachyev's personal spokesman has denied the statement from Committee representative Gennady Shvets, who yesterday confirmed he had received a letter of resignation from the chairman.

Shvets later added to the confusion claiming he had never made such a statement, while reports have been circulating that Tyagachyev is actually in hospital suffering from a bout of pneumonia.

With no public appearances since his return from Vancouver on Tuesday, it remains unclear whether the chairman still holds his post.

Tyagachyev, who is a friend and skiing companion of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was seen as the driving force behind Russia's preparations for the 2014 Games.

Meanwhile, Sports minister Vitaly Mutkov has stated that he is ready to step down if instructed but retains his position for the time being.