Russia finished a relatively lowly 11th overall in Vancouver with 15 medals, only three of of which were gold, their worst performance since they made their debut in the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in 1994 following the break-up of the Soviet Empire.

Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said: "We will introduce the post of Deputy Prime Minister, who will be personally responsible for preparing the national team and reserve athletes for the Olympics."

The decision to create the new post followed a Government meeting where Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that national federations must have broader power and specific responsibilities, more facilities need to be built, and wages of coaches must be increased to prevent a similar humiliation when Russia hosts the 2014 Games in Sochi.

Leonid Tyagachev resigned on Wednesday as President of the Russian Olympic Committee, two days after President Dmitry Medvedev said senior sports officials "should make a courageous decision" and quit over the country's poor showing in Vancouver.

After Tyagachev's resignation, Mutko said that his Ministry was not trying to shift responsibility for the Olympic failure.

However, when asked on Friday if he would continue his Ministerial work, he said "certainly".


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