The Chamber of Deputies passed a bill on Tuesday that obliges local governments across the country to allocate money to support sports activities at the children and junior level. The law stipulates that city halls must allocate at least 30% of the budget for sports events for children and youth. The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making forum, the project is being made public.

The draft law complements the Law “On Physical Education and Sports” in the sense that at least 30% of the funds allocated from the local budget for financing sports activities must be directed to programs dedicated to children and youth.

Local authorities will be able to finance any sports industry and any sports structure, both public and private, with only one condition: to be in the area of ​​activity of the relevant administrative-territorial unit. It will also be possible to fund school sports structures belonging to the educational units of the respective UATs, a measure which is aimed particularly at areas with fewer children and young people.

“In Romania, half of the state money allocated to sports comes from local budgets. Absolutely normal thing. The problem is how this money is distributed and how it is spent, because on average less than 4% of public funds allocated to sports go to support children’s and youth activities. The difference, 96%, is for senior teams. The project approved by the parliament today aims to increase the amount allocated to support the sports activity of children and juniors to 30% of the total budget allocated by state administrations for sports. This means that out of every 100 lei provided in the budget for supporting sports activities of the elderly, 30 lei should also be allocated for the age group 5-18 years. In practice, this will mean a decent salary for coaches, sports equipment for children, travel to competitions, even hot meals and fees. It also means a chance for low-income communities and for families who cannot afford to buy sports equipment, and in general it means that the selection base has been restored,” explained UDR deputy Tudor Pop, the initiator of the bill.

In Romania, the percentage of those who do not do sports or exercise in the age group of 5-14 years is 47%. In the segment of 15-24 years, this indicator increases by almost 79%. USR intends to change this reality and will continue the fight in parliament, regardless of whether it is about free access to schoolyards or about the promotion and development of sports.

The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making forum, the project is being made public.