Russia announced Wednesday it will appoint a new national swimming coach by December 1 as the country looks to improve upon its dour performance in international competition.

A wealth of foreign candidates are being considered for the vacancy, which came up when Andrei Vorontsov's deal expired on September 30.

Russia disappointed under Voronstov in the Olympic pool in London over the summer, gaining just two silver and two bronze.

His replacement, said Russian Swimming Federation president Vladimir Salnikov, must be "a fusion of an organizer and a person who has exemplary knowledge and see the trends in the world’s swimming."

A stage of the 2012 FINA Swimming World Cup will be held in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday, and Salnikov acknowledged the importance of the event for the development of swimming.

“Every year, more and more famous swimmers come to us: Britta Steffen, Paul Biedermann, Jessica Hardy, Laszlo Cseh and others."

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte was announced for the Moscow stage, but he pulled out without saying why.

"We learned last week that Lochte won’t be participating. We have not been told about the reasons. I do not think it affected the arrival of other swimmers from the United States," Salnikov said.