Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo was among the five ministers removed from their posts in a surprise Cabinet reshuffle by the Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dito\u2019s replacement has yet to be named. And this has propelled former Olympian Taufik HIdayat to take over in the interim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking after officiating the National Sports Day summit at the Cibubur Youth Elite Sports Center in Jakarta earlier today, Taufik admitted that he has in the interim taken over the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the former world champion said he was not taking over the position permanently and was awaiting the president\u2019s choice to fill the vacant spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 44-year-old Taufik was appointed as the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister in October last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the appointment of the new Minister is the sole right of Prabowo, many are already calling for Taufik to be elevated as a full Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among those supporting Taufik\u2019s elevation was another former Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taufik is considered a legend in badminton, having everything from the Olympics to World Championships as well as two Thomas Cups with his fellow teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If he is appointed as Minister, he joins a growing list of other sportsmen, who went on into political careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current Ukranian Minister of Youth and Sport is Vadym Gutzeit, a former Olympic medalist in fencing. Before him another Olympic medalist in athletics, Valery Borzov, served in the same position from 1991-1996. Fencer Laura Flessel was the French Sports Minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legendary Pele was appointed as the Brazilian Extraordinary Minister of Sport from 1995-1998. Brazil\u2019s current Sports Minister Ana Moser was a three-time Olympian in Volleyball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another footballer David Collins served as the Sports Minister of Kiribati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guyana\u2019s Maria Isabel Urrutia, a former weightlifter, was the nation\u2019s Sports Minister from 2022-2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poland\u2019s Witold Banka, who served as the Minister Sports and Tourism from 2015,-2019 was a former 400m runner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India\u2019s former Minister of Sports \u2013 Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, was a former national shooter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former basketballer Edi Rama had the distinction of serving as both the Sports Minister and Prime Minister of Albania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there are the likes of former footballer Kausea Natano, who served his term that ended last year as the Tuvalu Prime Minister. Similarly, former weightlifter Sprent Dadwido was elected as the president of Nauru from 2011-2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan Cricketer Imran Khan was the Prime Minister from 2018-2022 while hockey player Zafarullah Khan Jamali served as the Prime Minister from 2002-2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taro Aso, a former skeet shooter was elected as the Japanese Prime Minister from 2008-2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between 1992 and 1999, Sitiveni Rabuka, who had represented the nation at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, served as the Prime Minister of Fiji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judoka Pierre Trudeau, twice served as the Prime Minister of Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First class cricketer Grantley Herbet Adams, was elected as the Prime Minister of the West Indies in 1958 after serving a term as the premier of Barbados. Yet another criket Pan American Games medalist Lester Bird was the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda from 1994-2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yachting\u2019s Admiral Cup winning captain Edward Heath was the Prime Mininster of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hungary had the fortune of having two former footballers as their Prime Minister \u2013 Istvan Friedrich and Viktor Orban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mongolia\u2019s former Sambo exponent was their president from 2017-2021. Footballer MIkheil Kavelashvili is the current president of Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liberian football superstar served as his nation\u2019s president until last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And who can forget Idi Amin, who went on from being a light heavyweight boxing champion, to an iron rule of Uganda as its president from 1971-1979.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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