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adminton legend Taufik Hidayat has been appointed chef de mission for Indonesia'€™s sporting delegation to the SEA Games, to be held in Singapore from June 5 to 16.

'€œIt'€™s about time the government put its trust in a former athlete, especially someone who has lifted the country'€™s image on the international stage. We will involve these former athletes more in managing national sports,'€ Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi told a discussion on Tuesday.

He said this was the first time that a former athlete had been appointed chef de mission for a multi-sport event.

An Olympic gold medalist, Taufik said he was honored to be given the opportunity and hoped it would motivate his fellow athletes to boost their achievements and no longer think they had no prospects after their sporting careers finished.

'€œI will be in learning-by-doing mode. I'€™ll try to learn about all sport divisions and events that are contested at the event and the responsibility of a chef de mission,'€ Taufik said.

Indonesia will send 500 athletes to the biennial tournament as it vies for second place in the medal tally among 11 participating countries. '€” JP