Saiful Bahri, better known as Pon Yaya, was officially elected as the General Chair of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI) Aceh for the 2025–2029 period.
The appointment was made during the Extraordinary Provincial Sports Conference (Musorprovlub) at the Grand Aceh Syariah Hotel, Banda Aceh, on Thursday, October 9, 2025. The decision was outlined in Decree No. 05/MUSORPROVLUB/2025 of KONI Aceh, held in a plenary session chaired by T. Rayuan Sukma, with T. Feriansyah as secretary, and three vice-chairmen: Muslim HS, Ifwandi, and Adnan Yacob.
Pon Yaya was elected by acclamation and was also appointed as the Chairman of the Formation Committee to form the new KONI Aceh leadership. He was given a maximum of 30 days to finalize the structure, along with two other members of the formation committee: T. Rayuan Sukma, a representative from the provincial sports committee, and Muslim HS, a representative from the district/city KONI.
In his inaugural remarks, Pon Yaya emphasized that this position was not merely a personal honor, but a collective mandate for the advancement of Acehnese sports.
"This mandate is not a personal honor, but a shared responsibility to uphold the dignity and continue the great journey of KONI Aceh," he said.
He also expressed his appreciation to his predecessors, especially Muzakir Manaf (Mualem) and the late H. Kamaruddin Abu Bakar (Abu Razak), for the strong foundation they have built. Pon Yaya is committed to continuing the athlete development program, expanding access to training, and making sports a source of pride and a unifying force for Aceh's young generation.
"Thank you for this trust. I will repay it with concrete work," he emphasized.
Previously, Aceh Regional Secretary M. Nasir, representing the Governor of Aceh at the opening of the Musorprovlub, stated that KONI Aceh had demonstrated extraordinary performance under the leadership of Mualem and Abu Razak. He hopes Pon Yaya can continue this positive trend.
"KONI Aceh was very strong under Governor Muzakir Manaf's two terms, and that success continued under the late Abu Razak. We hope the new chairman can maintain and improve these achievements," said Nasir.
The Aceh government, he continued, will provide full support for the advancement of regional sports.
Meanwhile, the General Chair of KONI Pusat, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Marciano Norman, in a speech read by the Caretaker Chair of KONI Aceh, Major General (Ret.) Soedarmo, praised Aceh's significant improvement in sporting achievements since the Riau National Games (PON) and its target of a top 10 finish at the 21st PON in Aceh-North Sumatra in 2024.
"Choosing the best leaders and maintaining unity after the Musorprov (Regional Sports Week) are the keys to good organizational governance," he said.
Marciano also reminded the new leadership to uphold solidarity, integrity, and understand KONI's Articles of Association (AD/ART) in every step of developing performance.[]
