Prague, June 27 (CTK) – The spending of the Czech state, regions and municipalities on sports will grow from 3.7 billion crowns this year to six billion in 2017, according to a concept of development of sport until 2025 the government approved on Monday, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has said.
The concept envisages the gradual raising of money for sports and promotion of children’s participation in the activities.
By raising expenditures on sports from public budgets, the government wants to remove the burden from family budgets.
All proceeds from lotteries and gambling are to go to sport by 2020. The goal is to raise spending on sport from the state budget to 1 percent in 2020, compared with 0.3 percent last year.
The stability of financing sport is to increase. One of the ways is the allocation of the state subsidy for three-year periods as from next year.
The concept provides for the development of sport at schools with the aim of stopping children and youth’s over-weight and obesity and decreasing physical fitness.
The document also speaks about support for Czech athletes participating in international competitions with the aim of promoting the country, modernisation of sports infrastructure and the construction of new sports grounds.
The document places emphasis on active fighting negative phenomena in sports, such as rigging matches and doping.
The government approved a draft amendment to the law on sports last year. The Chamber of Deputies passed it, but the Senate returned it to the lawmakers in May, demanding that the provision ordering municipalities to work out plans of sports development to be deleted.
Education Minister Katerina Valachova wants to submit a new bill on sports by the year’s end.
