T

aufik Hidayat'€™s appointment as Chef de Mission of Indonesia'€™s sporting delegation to the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore has been applauded by fellow former athletes.

'€œWe support the decision by the Youth and Sports Affairs Minister and the KOI [Indonesian Olympic Committee] to appoint Taufik Hidayat as SEA Games Chef de Mission in Singapore,'€ a statement by the Former National Athletes Forum (FK MAN), and signed by representative and former badminton star Ivana Lie, said on Monday.

It said that Taufik'€™s appointment was an honor for all former athletes in a mission to raise the nation'€™s dignity in an international arena.

'€œWe see it as the right decision to appoint Taufik given his past achievements in which he won Olympic gold in Athens 2004 as the world'€™s highest sporting arena along with other honors from other international competitions,'€ Ivana said.

Taufik capped his sterling badminton career with his Olympic gold in Athens 2004.

The ministry'€™s move is unprecedented as in the past the position usually went to a figure from the ranks of the military.

The Indonesian contingent at the 2014 Asian Games was led by Suwarno, former chief of the Brawijaya military command. He controversially left the delegation in Incheon, South Korea, in order to perform his haj duty.

Ivana, who won mixed doubles gold at the 1982 Asian Games, pairing with Christian Hadinata, said that the choice of a former athlete for the games'€™ top duty was expected to have a positive impact on national sport.

The biennial sporting showcase, contested by 11 countries in the region, will be held in June.

Indonesia is looking to bounce back into the medal chase after it slumped to fourth position in Myanmar two years ago.

'€œOur target at the SEA Games 2015 is to improve our position to second from fourth in the previous games,'€ Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi reiterated in his statement during a meeting with House of Representatives members on Monday, as reported in detik.com.

With the winner estimated to collect between 92 and 98 gold medals, Indonesia is aiming to win between 72 and 79 gold medals to finish in second place.

Indonesia is grooming 500 athletes in a training regime called the Indonesian Golden Program (Prima). They will be competing in 33 sports.

House members from House Commission X said they supported the ministry'€™s move in the buildup to the games.

'€œCommission X supports the ministry'€™s move in the hope that national athletes for SEA Games 2015 do not face obstacles in their bid to meet the target,'€ commission chief Teuku Riefky Harsya said.