PETALING JAYA: Two-time Olympic gold medallist Lee Yang is set to become Taiwan’s first Sports Minister following a Cabinet reshuffle announced by Premier Cho Jung-tai on Wednesday (Aug 27).

The Ministry of Sports will be officially launched on Sept 9, making Lee Yang the first person to hold the post after the government elevated the Sports Administration into a full ministry.

Lee Yang will be assisted by Cheng Shih-chung, director of the Sports Administration, and Huang Chi-huang, chief executive of the National Sports Science Center (NSTC), who will both serve as deputy ministers.

Hung Chih-chang, deputy director-general of the Sports Administration, will also take up a deputy role.

At the Paris Olympics last year, Lee Yang and his partner Wang Chi-lin created history as the first men’s doubles pair to retain their Olympic gold medal after beating China’s Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang in the final.

The victory turned out to be Lee’s last appearance before he announced his retirement.

He later joined the National Taiwan University of Sport (NTUS) as an associate professor before being called into public service.