Prince Imran of Malaysia has promised he is ready to compete for a second term as President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) following the news, exclusively broken by insidethegames, Scotland's Louise Martin will stand against him.
Prince Imran, who ran uncontested in 2011 when he succeeded Jamaica's Michael Fennell, declared he would run again for a fresh four-year term at last week's CGF Executive Board meeting in London, after which Martin also announced she would be a candidate.
Speaking today in Malaysia, the 66-year-old, who has served as a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2006 and also heads the Olympic Council of Malaysia, welcomed all challengers but vowed to compete the controversial reforming measures he claims to have set in motion.
"We have undertaken a lot of reforms in the CGF with a new strategic plan," he said, as reported by Malaysian news agency Bernama.
"Having started the process and completed the first phase of getting everything approved and moving, I now want [to] see through the implementation process."
Prince Imran, the CGF's vice-president for eight years before taking over the top job, presided over the success of last summer's Games in Glasgow, which he declared the "best ever" at the Closing Ceremony.
His tenure has, though, also been clouded by an attempt to move the CGF headquarters from London to Kuala Lumpur, something fiercely criticised before being abandoned at last year's General Assembly.
If the Malaysian is not elected he will become only the second CGF President to serve just one term at the helm.
The first was Hong Kong's Arnaldo de Oliveira Sales, who served between 1994 and 1998 but had to step down because Hong Kong left the Commonwealth following its handover to China in 1997.
If successful, Martin would become only the second Scottish CGF President following Sir Peter Heatly, who held the position between 1982 and 1990.
Martin claimed her intention to stand is not based on any desire to remove Prince Imran, but more a longstanding personal ambition following years of experience in the Commonwealth Games Movement.
Among those to endorsed Martin is Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) President Brian Lewis, who praised her "exemplary record of effective and decisive leadership".
"She is passionate about and committed to the Commonwealth ideals, values and spirit," he told insidethegames.
"If elected she has the vision, capacity and capability to be an excellent CGF President."
A final decision as to who will lead the 71-member body is due to made during the CGF General Assembly in Auckland on September 2.
It is still possible more contenders could emerge before the May declaration deadline.
Meanwhile, Prince Imran has also revealed today that he is seeking an additional two years as President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), which he has led since 1998.
He intends to seek re-election for a ninth term at the body's Annual General Meeting on August 22, although he hinted that, if successful, it would be his final term in office.
"I don't really want to go past 70 in the OCM because I think it's time [to pave the way] for young people and I'm getting close to that," he said.