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oung, rich and full of passion in sports is the best way to characterize Erick Thohir, who over the weekend was elected chairman of the new Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI). His ascent to the leadership of the nation'€™s primary sports organization has sparked hopes, and perhaps dreams, that the development of sports in the country will be revolutionized.

Erick, 45, inherits a legacy of national sports that have hardly improved over the more than two decades since Indonesia took both the women'€™s and men'€™s singles badminton gold medals in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. There is another Olympics around the corner in Rio de Janeiro next summer, but it will be unfair to assess Erick'€™s performance from the outcome of Indonesia'€™s participation in the world sporting meet because all preparations for the games have been long underway.

His chief test will arrive in 2018 when Jakarta and Palembang play host to the Asian Games. Indonesia will then come under the world'€™s spotlight as both the host of an international sporting event and, more than that, a regional force to be reckoned with.

Successfully hosting the Asian Games, coming back to Indonesia for the first time since 1962, will not be the sole responsibility of Erick, but also the central government administration as well as Jakarta and South Sumatra governments. But like it or not, Erick will take the blame for any poor performance of Indonesian athletes and the credit for any commendable showing in the games.

Indonesia finished 17th in the last games in Incheon, South Korea, in 2014 with a collection of four gold, five silver and 11 bronze medals, still below its best record of 21 gold medals taken at the 1962 games and its own target of winning nine gold medals. If the Asian Games serves as the yardstick of sports development on the continent, Indonesia is lagging behind its Southeast Asian neighbors Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Erick'€™s managerial skills have been proven in business by leading multiplatform media group Mahaka to its current state of success. He showed his passion for sports by taking over Serie A leader Internazionale Milan after previously buying Major League Soccer side DC United, NBA club Philadelphia 76ers and by owning national professional basketball team Satria Muda Britama.

His exposure in sports organizations both at the national and regional level is exceptional considering his young age. Among other achievements, he led the Indonesian Basketball Association from 2006 to 2010 and the Southeast Asia Basketball Association from 2004 to 2010.

The KOI is not a foreign environment for Erick, who served as deputy chief to his predecessor Rita Subowo. But with much bigger responsibilities, Erick will now have to dedicate his time and energy to the KOI more than ever. This means he may have to shift his focus to national sports from his personal interests in, say, his soccer club Internazionale, which is now setting the pace in the Italian premier league.

We hope his real investment will finally create significant gains in national sports.