The event, which is set to grow dramatically in size by up to 7,500 delegates, is expected to be held on the Olympic Park built for this year's Winter Olympics and Paralympics after Sochi were chosen ahead of Abu Dhabi, Durban and an unnamed city in Brazil. 

"It is a pleasure to inform the sport community that the Convention will be organised in Sochi," said Marius Vizer, President of SportAccord.

"A city that demonstrated its passion for sport and capability through the successful organisation of the Winter Olympic Games,

"it will once again embrace the entire sport community while activating its legacy."

The event is due to take place in either April or May.

"The SportAccord Convention is a unique opportunity for the sport community to come together for discussion on important issues in the field of sport," said Vitaly Mutko, Russia's Sports Minister.

"The Convention has become a platform for the interaction of many sports organisation and Federations, where they accept the most important sport decisions."

There have been widespread calls from the United States and Europe for "hard-hitting sanctions" to be imposed on Russia after the downing of flight MH17, which killed 298 people and which pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine have been blamed for.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has led calls for an array of tough sanctions, including restrictions on Russian banks and airlines and asset freezes on the "oligarchs and cronies" who support Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin visited SportAccord International Convention when it was held last year in St Petersburg, where he inspected the medals for Sochi 2014 that were launched during the event ©AFP/Getty Images

It will be the second time in three years that the Convention has been staged in Russia following a successful 2013 event in St Petersburg, where those attending included Putin.

Nis Hatt, managing director at SportAccord Convention, insisted the current political situation will not affect next year's event.

"Politics and sport are unrelated," he told insidethegames.

"We are bringing back the Convention to a country that staged a wonderfully successful Winter Olympic Games and embraces sport."

The choice to host the SportAccord International Convention in Sochi should ensure that it will be much higher profile than this year's event in Belek, Turkey.

SportAccord President Marius Vizer has big plans for the annual International Convention ©ITG

It will also help fulfil the ambitions of Vizer, who has already stated that he wants the event to be much bigger and occupy an even more important role in the sports calendar than it already does. 

"We are working towards our long-term goal of increasing the level, complexity, participation and diversity of the Convention to benefit all stakeholders and delegates," he said.

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