Julio César Maglione, the 79-year-old odontologist who leads the International Swimming Federation (FINA), looks set to complete the late Mario Vázquez Raña's final term as President of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), after being nominated today by the body's 19-member Executive Committee.
The Uruguayan - who has been an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member for 19 years and is viewed as a staunch supporter of IOC President Thomas Bach - is to be proposed at an Extraordinary General Assembly in Miami on April 10 and 11.
The election of a replacement for the man who led the body for fully 40 years prior to his death last month, will be the main item on the agenda of that meeting.
If elected, Maglione would serve until 2016; Vázquez Raña was re-elected for what turned out to be his final term as PASO President in Mexico City in March 2012.
Senior figures in the organisation see it as a priority to ensure that speculation over the long-term leadership does not disturb final preparations for this summer's Pan American and Parapan American Games in Toronto.
Maglione's age appears to preclude him from anything more than an interim role as President, but his vast experience suggests he should be a safe pair of hands as PASO faces up to a new era with many uncertainties.
If he does take over, Maglione would preside over completion of a statute review process that could have an important bearing on who the organisation's longer-term leader turns out to be.
This review could lead to a change in voting entitlements from the current system; under this, each of the 41 PASO National Olympic Committees (NOCs) has a vote, and an extra vote is granted for each time a country has hosted the Pan American Games.
A statement released after today's meeting indicated that eventual statute amendments would be approved at another Extraordinary General Assembly after the Toronto Games.
The meeting also agreed to grant an extra $100,000 (£66,000/€93,000) to each PASO NOC member as a contribution to preparation of their athletes for both Toronto 2015 and the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Not everyone is happy about today's decision, however.
It is understood that two gatherings of regional NOCs to discuss the outcome of today's meeting are planned before the Miami assembly.
The first of these is expected in Panama on Saturday; the second in the Caribbean at a subsequent date.
Candidates for the PASO Presidency post-2016 are thought to be numerous, and may include Ivar Sisniega, currently first vice-president, from Mexico, Brazil's Carlos Nuzman, José Joaquín Puello of the Dominican Republic, Richard Peterkin, the IOC member from Saint Lucia, and perhaps others.