Clear rules instead of vague lobbying

Zdroj: Sport Daily, Robert Kotian

Ministry of Education presented a proposal of a new model of financing for sports. This model creates a barrier between those who benefit from it and those who do not. The practice of someone with access to the ministry getting the higher grants for his sport is now past. More money will be allocated to those, who reach the biggest international success or to those athletes, whose sport is the most popular or to those, who work with youth intensively, claims Jozef Tokoš, Igor Moška and Ján Marušinec, a team of three advisors of the Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport.

According to a new model based on the criteria of success, popularity and youth membership 90 percent of finance directed into the sport should be divided. A new method of funding specifies three exactly measurable criteria: sports ranking - representations, sport ranking - talented youth and the ranking of hundred elite athletes of Slovakia. The advantages of this model is that if the unions will focus on achieving success and increase the number sporting children under the age of 18, it should help them to increase funding.

If the model of funding will be approved by the government, the main motivation for unions in the future should be the number of children under 18 engaged in sport, the results of the national teams and athletes and popularity of each sport. 

Publicized results that indicate immediate drastic impact on funding of many of sports federations, did not counted with the transitional five-year period during which funds will be bounded on the amount of subsidies obtained in 2011 for all sports associations. Gradually the cap of subsidies will be reduced to 90, 80, 70, 60 and 50 percent of the amount allocated in 2011.

"The proposal for the 2012 guarantees the sports federations that funding will not fall below 90 percent of the amount they got for representation and talented youth in 2011. This guarantee does not apply for investments and events, but it will ensure that grants will not decrease dramatically, "says Tokoš.

The proposed model is based primarily on the success and popularity of sports. According to the minister, the formula of financing sport leagues looks like this - the proportion of funding  = success x popularity.

In the case of talented youth, this formula has added a further variable, which is the number of children U18 engaged in the sport. The formula for this adjustment follows: proportion of financing = 90% x ( success x popularity) + 10% x number of youth in sport.

In determination of the success of athletes and teams the order in world rankings and results in international events (Olympics and World Championships, World Cup, and European championship) is taken into account, where the first place on World Cup equals the same spot as the fifth place at the Olympics.

The important factor is the international competition (for example in football, there are more than 200 national football associations). In calculation of the rankings of  the talented youth, another variable was added. The financial severity of sport - for example the financial demands on ice hockey and floorbal are significantly different.

A large number of unions have raised concerns against the way the determination of popularity is counted. Popularity is based on three equally valued variables- Domestic poll, monitor of local media and the world TV monitoring.

"Jurzyca's men" offer another point of view. In addition to sports rankings there was created another ranking  - of one hundred athletes from sports that are either not so popular or do not have a mass member base, and therefore have no chance get to the top of rankings.

Marušinec explains: ''For this ranking, athletes will get about three millions - that is 30 percent and 70 percent will be tied to specific elite athletes (there are tennis players, canoe slalom racers, shooters, cyclists, athletes).