The RBU announced Maigurov had been unanimously supported by all 45 delegates at the national governing body’s Extraordinary Elective Conference today in Khimki.

Maigurov’s election was effectively made a formality yesterday, following the resignation of incumbent Vladimir Drachev.

Drachev, elected President in May 2018, claimed his decision to step down was related to his work as a deputy of the State Duma in Russia’s Federal Assembly.

The four-time world champion had faced calls to step down from his position amid concerns over the organisation’s financial position and controversy over how coaches of Russia's national teams were selected.

His resignation left Maigurov as the sole candidate for the RBU Presidency.

The 51-year-old is expected to serve a two-year term, with the next RBU election scheduled to take place after the 2022 Winter Olympics Games.

Maigurov’s main task will be to restore the RBU’s full membership of the IBU.

The IBU relegated the RBU to provisional membership in December 2017 in response to the country's doping scandal.

The RBU currently owes the worldwide governing body at least €350,000 (£313,000/$395,000).

IBU President Olle Dahlin has welcomed the election of Maigurov, with the official expressing hope that the new RBU President can continue to reform Russian biathlon and make the changes to enable the organisation to return as a full member.

"The IBU congratulates Viktor Maigurov on his election as President of the RBU," Dahlin said in a statement.

"As a double Olympic medallist and long-serving former IBU Vice President, Viktor has experience as both an athlete and a sports administrator that will be invaluable to the RBU.

"We look forward to working closely with Viktor and his team to build on the progress that has been made in reforming Russian biathlon.

"Further work needs to be done but we are confident that the necessary changes will be made to ensure the protection of clean athletes and allow for the reinstatement of the RBU as a full member of the IBU.

"I would also like to thank outgoing RBU President Vladimir Drachev for his cooperation and the work he has done in helping the RBU progress to the position it is in today."

Maigourov, winner of Olympic bronze medals at Nagano in 1998 and in Salt Lake City four years later and a three-time World Championship gold medallist, has previously vowed to stand down within a year of being elected if he fails to "fulfil my promises".

Alexey Nuzhdov, Yuri Vekshin, Andrey Levunin, Ivan Cherezov, Sergey Lityak and Ivan Melikhov were also elected to the RBU Board today, with 41 delegates voting in favour of their candidacies.

The RBU revealed four members abstained from the Board vote.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin has said the Ministry is ready to help the RBU in its efforts to restore its full membership of the RBU.

Matytsin sought to dissuade comparisons between the situations of the RBU and the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), which are both seeking to restore their status with their respective International Federations.

The RusAF missed a deadline set by World Athletics on July 1 to pay $6.31 million (£5 million/€5.6 million) as part of reinstatement criteria following the nation's doping scandal.

"I would very much like the Russian biathlon to become a full member of the IBU,"  Matytsin told Russia’s official state news agency TASS.

"In this regard, the Ministry and the Olympic Committee of Russia are ready to assist you, but everything is in your hands.

"I wish the new leadership to show professionalism, wisdom and consolidate all healthy forces.

"From the Ministry of Sports we will provide all the necessary support, both financial and organisational.

"I would not like to compare the situations in athletics and biathlon, this is a different story of conflicts.

"I hope we avoid the events in biathlon that we observe in the interactions between the RusAF and World Athletics.

"I don’t see prerequisites for this to happen.

"The main thing is to be able to build a dialogue, including with the international community, and to defend the interests of Russian sports in time, including with the help of legal support."