The 66-year-old Nuzman and his vice-president, André Gustavo Richer, were re-elected by the COB assembly.

 

Nuzman, a former volleyball player who represented Brazil in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo and a lawyer by profession, has been president of the COB since 1995 and is now also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

 

Of the 91 Olympic medals won by Brazil since the 1920 Antewerp Games, 52 have been claimed under Nuzman's leadership, since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

 

Nuzman said: "The qualitative improvement of Brazilian sports in recent years is the result, among other reasons, of the work of COB with national federations.

 

"We are ready and enthusiastic to work even harder to develop Brazilian sports."

 

In Beijing this year, Brazil won 15 medals, incuding three gold, and finished 17th in the final medals table.

 

But Nuzman's biggest legacy could be overseeing a successful bid from Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.

 

They are one of four cities currently bidding - alongside Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo.

 

The IOC are due to announce a decision at its Session in Copenhagen on October 2.