Yogyakarta. The Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) introduced its new 60-member leadership team on Saturday, unveiling an ambitious plan to secure gold medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The association is now headed by Muhammad Fadil Imran, a former Jakarta Police chief, who was elected chairman by acclamation during the national congress in August.

Fadil underscored his Olympic ambitions by appointing several former gold medalists to key positions within PBSI. These include Ricky Ahmad Subagja, the men’s doubles champion from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, as secretary general, and Taufik Hidayat, the 2004 Athens Olympics men’s singles gold medalist, as deputy chairman.

Renowned badminton coach Mulyo Handoyo, who guided Taufik to become the world’s number one player and has successfully coached international players, has been named the coordinator for all national coaches. Mulyo will be supported by Eng Hian, a bronze medalist in men’s doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The leadership board, composed of 60 executives, marks one of the largest teams in PBSI's history.

“We must first ensure the readiness of our coaches, athletes, and infrastructure. We will focus on every detail to achieve our Olympic goals,” Fadil said during the inauguration ceremony in Yogyakarta.

One of Fadil's top priorities is modernizing the aging national training facility in Cipayung, Jakarta, which has not undergone significant renovations since its establishment in 1992. He mentioned his commitment to rebuilding it into a state-of-the-art training center to better prepare Indonesia's badminton athletes for international success.

Indonesia's badminton team struggled at the Paris Olympics earlier this year, securing only a bronze medal through Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in women’s singles. However, Indonesia achieved two gold medals in other sports, with climber Veddriq Leonardo and weightlifter Rizki Juniansyah earning top honors.

Since badminton became an Olympic medal event in 1992, Indonesia has claimed eight gold medals in the discipline. Prior to Paris, the only Olympic Games where Indonesia failed to secure badminton gold was the 2012 London Olympics.

The Paris Games also marked a historic milestone for Indonesia, as it won gold medals in sports other than badminton for the first time and achieved its highest gold medal count since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Add as a preferred source on Google +