Football legend, Ahmed “Heena” Saleem has been appointed as the Commissioner of Sports.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih appointed him on Wednesday, in accordance with Article 6 (b) of the Sports Act, which was introduced in September 2015.

He was appointed to the position in the level of deputy minister, said the President’s Office.

Saleem, who has various sports-related training, has been in the sports field for a number of years. He received the National Award for Honour in 2018, for his contributions to the field.

He was in the Maldives’ first-ever national football team, in 1979, and has represented the country in the international arena numerous times.

Saleem started a sports academy, ‘Early Touch Football Academy’ 15 years ago, aimed to train young children interested in the sport.

Prior to Saleem, football star Ali Umar served as the sports commissioner. He resigned in March this year, about a year after his appointment.

While the Sports Act was introduced in 2015, TC Sports Club’s former President Ahmed “Dave” Nasheed served as the country’s first commissioner of sports. He also resigned before the end of his four-year tenure.