The Swiss, a SportAccord Council member for the last two years and who has been treasurer of the organisation for the last 12 months, is also secretary general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

He served on the IOC Evaluation Commissions for Beijing 2008 and 2012 and currently sits on the Marketing and Athletes' Entourage Commissions.

Baumann also led Lausanne's successful bid to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games and is now President of the Organising Committee.

He is widely seen as the IOC-backed candidate to take over SportAccord in comparison with Russian Anna Arzhanova, President of the World Underwater Federation.

Baumann believes, though, he can benefit the non-Olympic sports which make up 54 of the 88 full members of SportAccord, as well as the Olympic minority.

He claims to sympathise and understand the Olympic-aspirations of many of these sports because FIBA is also currently striving to have basketball 3x3 added as an additional discipline at Tokyo 2020.

“I have years of participation in SportAccord and GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations), as it was known before then, as well as my experience in FIBA,” the 48-year-old lawyer told insidethegames.

“I hope to be able to bring some of that experience to be of benefit.

“I come from a sport which is trying to get an event into the Olympics and I have been an event organiser with Lausanne 2020.

“This multi-faceted approach is important in bringing the glue back together in SportAccord.”

Baumann believes that SportAccord is a “necessary platform in which all International Federations (IFs)can come together, exchange, learn and improve themselves” at a time of unrest in the sports world.

It has suffered a decline in influence since International Judo Federation head Marius Vizer resigned as President last May following his criticism of the IOC, its President Thomas Bach and his Agenda 2020 reform agenda.

Baumann's compatriot Gian-Franco Kasper, President of the International Ski Federation, has since been leading the body on an interim basis.

“It [SportAccord] is a way for IFs to learn from each other and ensure that, as a sports movement as a whole, we present ourselves well,” Baumann said.

He insisted it is up the members to decide upon what its "core and main mission" should be.

This could involve continuing the anti-doping programmes “appreciated” by many Federations, as well as multisport event such as the World Combat, Mind and Urban Games.

The next four years would, he claims, be an opportunity to take their ideas on board and seek to realign the organisation.

“I am interested to know what they specifically would like to do,” Baumann told insidethegames.

“We have had a few rough years, and now we need to take a step back and look at who we are and at what we want.

“We need to come together as Olympic and non-Olympic sports and work together.

“I would certainly hope to get some structure back which is viable for the future - it is about re-aligning, re-building trust.”

If this can be achieved, he is confident the four Federations who have left SportAccord and have no current plans to re-join - representing athletics, golf, rowing and shooting - will be tempted back.

Baumann was a member of the Council which devised the plan to merge SportAccord with the SportAccord Convention, which has now been postponed until after the body’s new Statutes are approved.

He concedes that this was “not a well-executed idea”, but believes that the Convention is a key part of the body’s future to the extent that “keeping the organisations separate doesn’t make sense in a medium to long term sense”.

He added:  “We need to work a little more slowly and find the right way.

“We should use the Convention as a platform and as a tool.”

An election is due to be held during the SportAccord General Assembly on the final day of this year's Convention in Lausanne on April 22.