Infantino will join Japanese Olympic Committee head and judo legend Yasuhiro Yamashita and International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty in becoming part of what is known as "The Club".

Incoming embers are not elected in an open vote but rather co-opted by the existing membership. Infantino and the others were recommended by a commission led by Princess Anne.

Many are surprised it has taken this long because Infantino first became FIFA President almost four years ago and would normally have been an IOC member much earlier.

Some believe the bribery scandal which engulfed world football and his predecessor Sepp Blatter may have been a factor.

Even so, the elevation of a FIFA president to the IOC has never been automatic.

In the peculiar language of Olympic regulations, they are described as "natural persons".

The idea of co-option began when Pierre de Coubertin founded the IOC. He was a great admirer of what were then known as gentlemen's clubs and this was how members were elected.

When Juan Antonio Samaranch took over in 1980, he wanted change. He opened the way for members selected in connection with their "executive or leadership function" with an International Federation (IF) or National Olympic Committee.

Frenchman Jules Rimet was FIFA President from 1921 to 1954, but despite being part of the Organising Committee for the 1924 Paris Olympics and a football official at subsequent Games, was never an IOC member.

Future FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous wrote: "Rimet was small and expressive quick in speech and lively in gesture. He was a fine orator when the spirit moved him."

Rimet’s tenure coincided with a bitter dispute about definitions of amateurism. The football world was divided by the question of "broken time" - or compensation - for income lost while taking part in sport.

Some nations even withdrew from FIFA and the official IOC history suggests they were "hesitant" in including football in 1928.

FIFA launched a World Cup in 1930 but football was missing from the 1932 Olympics and only readmitted when modified rules on amateurism were agreed.

"An amateur is one whose connection with a sport is solely for pleasure and for the physical and moral benefits," it stated. "It admits the reimbursement of 'actually lost' salary and of real expenses of the athlete."

Belgian Football Association President Rodolphe Seeldrayers was one of nine new faces when the IOC reconvened after the Second World War.

The longtime FIFA vice-president, who played a leading role in organising the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, was soon acting as translator at IOC Sessions.

To protect the symbols of the movement and even the name "Olympic", he suggested that the IOC take legal help.

Then, he locked horns with the American Avery Brundage in a dispute over eligibility for the ice hockey tournament at the 1948 Winter Olympics.

He supported the acceptance of the USSR for the 1952 Games, but was also unhappy that IOC members with connections to the pre-war Italian and German regimes were allowed to retain their positions.

There was also a recurring problem of amateur status.

In 1952, army major Ferenc Puskas inspired Hungary to Olympic football gold. 

Almost the same "Golden" team reached the 1954 World Cup final. Many believed they were amateur in name only.

Seeldrayers held private meetings with IOC President Brundage to discuss the problem, but Eastern bloc nations won every football gold medal from 1952 to 1980, and "Shamateurism" continued to dog the Olympic Movement.

Seeldrayers eventually became FIFA President in 1954, but not for long. He died the following year. "The death of this perfect gentleman will seriously affect the world of sport," the IOC said.

Arthur Drewry, a long serving administrator from England, was FIFA President for six years until his death in 1961 but not considered for IOC membership.

Sir Stanley Rous, then Football Association secretary in England, was chosen to succeed him. Sir Stanley had been knighted for his work at the 1948 London Olympics and insisted "my interest in the Olympic Games was broader than in its football".

Rous joined the IOC Tripartite Commission which brought together National Olympic Committees and International federations.

"It was a privilege to be elected," said Rous. He addressed the 1973 Olympic Congress in Varna, but he was never invited to become an IOC member.

His eventual successor as FIFA President was Brazilian official João Havelange, who joined the IOC when still better known as a swimmer and water polo player.

A leading figure in the Brazilian Sports Confederation, he became an IOC member at the 1964 Session.

His first major Olympic speech came in Tokyo, a complaint that judo had been wrongly left out of the 1968 Games after its successful debut in 1964.

"Judo is the greatest combat sport," he told the Session before later complaining that IOC protocol had prevented him from speaking as often as he wanted to.

A decade later, he became FIFA President.

A hill-top headquarters above Zurich was constructed on his watch, and new age group World Championships were launched as his influence soared.

It was significant that Havelange spoke on the "development of sport in the third world" at the 1981 Olympic Congress. They had given him his power base.

"Sport is not simply a game. It has gone beyond the limits of its natural framework and is a stepping stone for promotion in a wider area of public relations."

His growing influence helped Barcelona win its bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.

To guard the standing of the World Cup, FIFA passed a ruling at its 1978 Congress in Buenos Aires "not to allow the national federations of Europe and Latin America to nominate players who took part in preliminary or final matches of the World Cup for the Olympic tournament".

FIFA insisted it "wished to give developing countries a greater chance of participating in Olympic competitions".

The IOC was angry at the lack of consultation. Instead they had been faced with a fait accompli.

The IOC accused FIFA of "seeking a direct confrontation by stating it did not need the Olympic Games, whereas the Olympic Games did need football".

An under-23 restriction was  ntroduced on an experimental basis at Barcelona 1992 but three over age players were permitted.

Women’s football was introduced without age restrictions in 1996.

When Havelange’s FIFA Presidency ended in 1998, Sepp Blatter replaced him.

The IOC "wanted to maintain the best possible relations with FIFA" so he was sworn in as an IOC member the following year and first spoke in a debate on age limits.

"The important thing was a person’s value and not their age. To impose an age limit was not good for those in sport," he said.

His predecessor Havelange was now 83, but remained a full IOC member and many believe used his influence in helping Rio in their 2016 Olympic quest.

Aged 95, but still with the towering physique of a younger man, Havelange abruptly left the IOC shortly before an ethics investigation in 2011.

The stadium named after him was known instead as the Olympic Stadium during Rio 2016. Midway through the Games, Havelange died aged 100. Brazilian newspaper tributes included a memorial notice from Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman.

Blatter’s own tenure as FIFA President ended in 2015 at the eye of the storm over World Cup bidding. Another IOC member, Issa Hayatou from Cameroon, took over as acting president.

Thomas Bach cut IOC ties by announcing Blatter would not seek another term, ostensibly because of the age limit, but he still wrote thanking him for his "outstanding service".

Blatter did engineer one victory in 2008 when three European clubs "called into question" the release of players including Lionel Messi for the tournament in Beijing.

He admitted to being "stunned and disappointed" when the Court of Arbitration for Sport backed the clubs.

He fought back, insisting: "The release of players below the age of 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs. The same principle shall apply for Beijing 2008."

Messi eventually did play for Argentina and duly won gold.

Next week, Infantino will take an oath to "defend in all circumstances, the interests of the IOC and the Olympic Movement".

He and his new colleagues will immediately be confronted with the familiar question of what to do about Russia. Infantino’s first men's World Cup as president was held there in 2018 and his input will be keenly awaited.