The sports federations will send a letter to the Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, to request a “sports shock”, considering that there is a “clear lack of financing” by the State for the sector, the Portuguese Sports Confederation reported this Monday. (CDP).
“Portuguese sport needs a sporting shock, a shock that stimulates the sector on the supply side and that gives sports clubs, associations and federations the conditions to fulfill their role with quality, offering quality sports to children and young people. Portuguese,” said the president of the CDP, Daniel Monteiro, told journalists at the end of the summit of presidents of sports federations that took place this Monday in a hotel in Lisbon.
On the other hand, the signatories consider that it is also necessary, on the demand side, to “give families a stimulus,” either through direct financial incentives or through IRS tax benefits.
The objective is that “families here also have an incentive so that their children and young people can practice sports and, in this way, they can have a positive impact on the future life of the country,” highlighted Daniel Monteiro, after the meeting that brought together more than 30 presidents of sports federations, and its main objective was to reflect on the proposed State Budget for 2025 (OE2025) for national sports and the current situation of the sector.
The government proposal for OE2025 includes a budget of 54.5 million euros for the sports sectorBut the federation leaders consider that more support is needed at a “critical” moment for the activity, highlighting that there has been a “clear lack of financing” from the State, which has promoted the “eliteization” of the sport.
Those responsible point to the data from the latest Eurobarometer, from September 2022, which shows that Portugal is the country in the European Union with the worst rates of physical and sports activity (73% of those surveyed revealed that they never exercise or play sports) , criticizing the “almost non-existence of public policies for the sector” during recent decades.
Therefore, they defend the urgent need for a “sports shock”, which enhances and guarantees the sustainability of the clubssports associations and federations, in order to provide the national sports sector with the means and tools to fulfill its mission.
Asked about the measures and amounts in question, the president of the CDP once again divided the issue between the demand side, the family side, where new fiscal stimuli must be implemented, and the supply side, with additional financing for federations. , associations and clubs. .
“We can consider this stimulus for families with children and young people, for example, in households up to 12 years old, up to 14 years old, up to 16 years old, the income eligibility threshold for families that will receive this support may be the third, fourth, fifth or sixth level of the IRS, depending on the budget availability to invest here,” he highlighted.
And he added: “On the part of the clubs, associations and federations, a minimum value of at least 20 million euros for the Portuguese sports sector, in this first year, giving clear conditions to the clubs, associations and federations to have a sport of higher quality. . Because the truth is that sport today is based on a complete volunteer regime“.
According to data from the CDP, Portugal currently has around 773,800 practitioners of federated sports, which is equivalent to just over seven percent of the Portuguese population.
For this reason, the federation presidents consider it “absolutely essential” that the Government present a package of measures that establishes the granting of direct incentives to the sports system and families, which allow the practice of sport to be promoted, with an immediate impact on the quality of education. sports offer and the general increase in federated sports practitioners.
Among the proposals that will be presented to Luís Montenegro, to whom the CDP will request an urgent hearing, is the creation of a fund for the training and development of capabilities of sports agents, the digitalization, modernization and innovation of sports organizations, as well as such as the rehabilitation of sports infrastructure, owned by clubs or non-profit sports associations.
Subsequently, the CDP also defends the distribution of costs for registrations in non-profit sports clubs/associations/collectives, by granting economic incentives for consumption and/or tax benefits, in terms of the SII, to households with dependents under 15 years. age.
Source: Observadora
