New rules for sport – the minister Fronc could face objections

Zdroj: Hospodárske noviny, Mira Sojková

The finance department has claimed reservations. There are comments from the team of experts around the Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda and Dusan Jarjabek, a member of parliament from the opposition, plans to introduce his own draft law.

The new draft law offers following ideas: greater influence on the financing of sport from the public resources from the side of sport movement and creating a new advising body to the cabinet headed by the Minister of Education. Moreover an employer should be paid costs related to his employee in case this employee is a state representative player. This draft law has been already passed to the interdepartmental process of comments. Martin Fronc, the chief officer of the department seems to meet obstacles already in the Cabinet that is going to discuss this draft in spring. Apparently he will have to face objections in the Parliament since several representatives find this new law unacceptable.

Dzurinda’s team

“The draft has been passed without achieving the best possible agreement,” explains Jozef Tokos, the head of the team of sport experts around Mikulas Dzurinda. He finds the draft law too general: no exact goals and state priorities in the field of sport have been set. Further objections relate to the financing of sport for all from public resources and compensating sportsmen salaries. Finance department has claimed reservations as well. “Instead of creating new bodies we should support particular sport activities,” urges department’s spokesman Peter Papanek, who has found no reason to create new organizations and advising bodies. The Finance department will apparently not agree with planned changes relating sponsoring in the income tax law. To attract a sponsor the new draft allows him to carry this money back from the tax base. “Sponsoring is often used to evade laws,” argues Papanek.

Three alternatives?

The spokeswoman of the Ministry of Education urges- the draft has been passed after one-year- long discussion with the team of experts around the Prime Minister, sports movement and Ministry of Finance. She finds this draft one of the most discussed law, which solves sport issue. “As there are elections in one year its future depends on the politicians will.” Changes in the financing of sport are being prepared also by the Dzurinda’s team of experts with intention to present them in near future. “70 sport departments that are supported from public sources now should be reduced to 10 or 15,” claims J. Tokos. Third proposal brings Dusan Caplovic, a Member of Parliament (Smer-SD). According to him, sport should be financed from some part of lotteries’ revenue that would be divided by experts without personal intentions.

Disunited sports movement

Sport associations prefer unionization. “Slovak sport has lost its autonomy,” urges the head of Slovak Sport Union and ex-coach of the Slovak hockey representation Julius Filc. Sportsmen should be directly involved in distribution of money from the state budget which is about one billion crowns a year. “As long as the money goes through institutions with political nominees we have no influence over it,” accents the chairmen of the Confederation of Sport Unions Marian Kukumberg. According to Frantisek Chmelar, The chief of the Slovak Olympic Committee they want to take part in preparation of the National Program for Sport. They agree that state should support some elected sport departments however they have not specified which one. “The criterion is its popularity at home and abroad as well.” According to M. Kukumberg we shouldn’t forget the youth. As the sports movement is disunited these days it will be quite difficult to come to an agreement.

The main points of the draft law

- to create an advisory body to the government - The Council of Government for sport involving personalities from sports movement

- basic starting points for state policy relating sport for following 3 years, including preferred sports- As a proposal of Ministry of Education the National Program for Sport will be subscribed by the Cabinet after discussing it in the Cabinet Council for Sport of SR

- the system of financing will be proposed by an advisory body to the Ministry of Education that will be newly established every year- Financial Committee with the participation of sports movement

- establish directly controlled organization of Ministry of Education, Anti-doping centre- prevention, control and education in the sphere of fight with doping

- create Arbitral Court for sport as a part of Slovak Olympic Committee

- defines a state of professional sportsman

- demands a free accessibility of every new sport facility to disabled citizens