The National Sports Committee of Indonesia (KONI) of Aceh has officially explained the reasons behind its cautious stance in recognizing dominoes as a sporting discipline under the organization's umbrella. This decision was made after considering social dynamics, local wisdom, and the effectiveness of sports development budget management in the region.
Vice Chairman I of KONI Aceh, Teuku Rayuan Sukma, revealed that one of the main obstacles was the objection from local clerics (ulama) and community leaders. Although the Consultative Assembly of Ulama (MPU) has not officially issued a formal ban, public perception still strongly associates dominoes with gambling. This condition is further compounded by regulations in several villages (gampongs) that restrict the game to maintain social order.
In addition to sociological factors, the technical aspect of the budget is a crucial consideration for KONI Aceh. Currently, KONI Aceh manages the development of 68 sporting disciplines with limited grant funds. Adding new members is feared to dilute funding allocation, which could disrupt the performance potential of existing sports.
Furthermore, Rayuan explained that up until now, dominoes has not been contested in the National Sports Week (PON). This serves as a key benchmark since KONI's primary mandate is to develop competitive sports. Given Aceh's special regional status, this policy was decided to maintain regional conduciveness while waiting for further developments at the national level.
Nevertheless, KONI Aceh emphasized that this decision is not set in stone. The committee remains open to future evaluations, especially if dominoes is later established as an official discipline in PON and proves capable of yielding achievements for the region. Currently, Aceh is noted as the only province that has not recognized the domino organization, differing from the policy of the central KONI which has accepted the organization as a member.
