Olympic gold medalist pledges to boost Taiwan sports as new minister

Taipei, Aug. 27 (CNA) Two-time Olympic gold medalist and retired Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang (李洋) on Wednesday pledged to do his utmost to "make Taiwanese sports stronger" after it was announced he will head the nation's newly-upgraded Ministry of Sports when it is officially established next month.

"Accepting the new position [as the incoming sports minister ] means a lot to me and also comes with greater responsibility," Lee told CNA in a phone interview after the Executive Yuan on Wednesday confirmed to local media that the 30-year-old will head the Ministry of Sports when it is inaugurated on Sept. 9.

"I will give 200 percent in this new role to do things right. Other than pushing sports policy, I will also focus on satisfying the needs of our athletes, since I was one of them," Lee said in the interview when asked to comment on his new role.

Lee was one of the most accomplished badminton players in Taiwan sports history, taking home Olympic golds in 2021 and 2024, Asian Games bronzes in 2018 and 2022, and an Asian Championships bronze in 2023 with partners Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝).

He announced his retirement from professional sports in December 2024.

Lee told CNA that life is full of "unexpected twists" and he never thought he would become the nation's first ever sports minister.

"That is life. There is always something that leads you in new directions. But I always hold the same belief in everything I do. No matter which position I am in, I have always wanted to make Taiwan's sports better and stronger," he said.

Thanks to the trust people place in him, Lee said the new position as minister will provide him with opportunities to serve more people.

In addition to naming Lee, the Executive Yuan on Wednesday also announced a Cabinet reshuffle involving 16 officials across 10 government agencies, including new ministers of economic affairs, digital affairs, and health and welfare.

The shake-up comes as President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) administration seeks to reverse a series of recent political setbacks, including failed recall campaigns and declining approval ratings.

The Lai administration announced earlier this year that it would upgrade the Sports Administration under the Ministry of Education to a standalone ministry, taking responsibility for the development of the sports industry and the promotion of competitive and recreational sports.