Valery Polkhovsky is set to take up the position of head coach of the Russian biathlon team ©RBU

The Russian Biathlon Union (RBU) has cleared Valery Polkhovsky to take up the position of head coach of the national team.

The RBU Board approved the candidacy of Polkhovsky, a vice-president of the RBU, following the election of Viktor Maigurov earlier this month.

Polkhovsky had been recommended for the post by the majority of the RBU Board in April, but his appointment was blocked by former President Vladimir Drachev.

Drachev's vetoing of coaching appointments was among the reasons why he had faced calls to resign.

He stepped down before the RBU Presidential election, clearing the way for three-time Olympic champion Maigurov to assume the position.

Valery Polkhovsky is set to lead the Russian team at major biathlon events ©Getty Images
Valery Polkhovsky is set to lead the Russian team at major biathlon events ©Getty Images

Polkhovsky served as head coach of the Russian women's team from 2001 to 2007.

He later claimed he would file a defamation lawsuit against four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov after he was overlooked for the role of women's head coach in 2018.

Polkhovsky, a former head coach of the Kazakhstan team who led the Russian squad in the 2011 to 2012 campaign, had claimed Tikhonov damaged his reputation by mentioning his alleged involvement in the doping scandal in Russian biathlon 10 years ago to the Board.