The head of Russia's Olympic Committee, Leonid Tyagachev, has resigned following the poor showing of the Russian team at the Vancouver Winter Games, news agencies reported on Wednesday.
Tyagachev has "signed his resignation declaration," the spokesman for the Russian Olympic Committee Gennady Shvets was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
"I do not know the precise motivation but in any case it is likely that this is linked to the performance of the Russian team in Vancouver," he added.
President Dmitry Medvedev had Monday called for officials in charge of preparing Russian athletes for the Winter Olympics to resign after the country suffered its worst-ever performance in Vancouver.
The Russian squad finished 11th in the Games' medal table, clinching only three gold medals and 15 overall.
Russia's poor showing was a bitter blow to a country used to dominating the Winter Olympics since Soviet times.
"Those in charge of preparation for the Olympics must take responsibility right now. The responsible persons should take the courageous decision and submit their resignation," Medvedev had said in televised remarks.
"If they cannot do it we will help them," he added.
Tyagachev's resignation was a "direct reaction to the president's words, Shvets told Gazeta.ru news web site.
The team's performance also drew criticism from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who on Friday called for "serious critical analysis and conclusions, perhaps including organisational conclusions."
Tyagachev began his career as an Alpine skiier and trainer of the Soviet Union's team. He served as sport and tourism minister in the 1990s before joining the Olympic Committee. He was elected president of the committee in 2001.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
