Kalniņš, who replaces Massimo Sanapo as the chairperson, is the former secretary general of the Latvian Blind Sports Union (LBSU) and has previously worked in sports management.

In his letter to apply for the role, the Latvian explained he was a team leader at international tournaments and an organiser and referee for domestic tournaments.

In 2019, he became an international referee.

"Showdown is the most popular blind sport in Latvia," Kalniņš said.

"So, during my years in LBSU I got to know all showdown nuances from within.

"In the six years I have been involved in blind sports (especially showdown) I made contacts with showdown representatives, players and referees across Europe."

One of Kalniņš’ first jobs is to find a host for the 2022 IBSA Showdown European Championships, for which the bidding process has been opened.

The Showdown Committee hopes to hold the event in autumn of this year.

The deadline for the bids is April 18.

The 10th edition of the Championships was expected to be held in Sofia in 2020 but it was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The IBSA committees play a fundamental role in development as well as the day-to-day running of showdown and other sports.