The Latvian Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments on Tuesday, March 10, to regulations governing state funding for sports federations and national team preparations. The changes, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM), aim to streamline the application process, reduce administrative burdens, and expedite the disbursement of funds to sports organizations.
The revisions to the regulations on the financing of sports organizations and the provisions for state financial support for national teams preparing for and participating in European and World Championship qualifying tournaments and final competitions, harmonize the deadlines and requirements for information submitted by sports federations.
Moving forward, sports federations and organizations will be able to submit information in a single application for state funding, covering both basic budgetary funding for operations and planned activities, as well as funding for the preparation and participation of national teams in international competitions. The deadline for submitting applications will be December 15th of each year.
These changes will allow the IZM to begin evaluating submitted information earlier and make decisions regarding funding allocations more quickly, ensuring that sports federations receive state budget funds in a more timely manner. This will enable federations to plan expenses, organize competitions, and ensure high-quality preparation for national teams competing internationally.
The amendments also optimize the decision-making approval process, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and accelerating decision-making – funding approvals will now be signed by the IZM State Secretary.
The regulations also clarify the information provided by sports federations regarding the number of athletes. To calculate funding, federations will now need to provide data on registered athletes who participated in at least two competitions during the reporting period, ensuring a more objective representation of athlete activity within each sport.
federations of team sports will also be required to provide information on the national, European, and international competition hierarchy for their respective sports, which will support to more accurately determine the status of competitions during the evaluation process.
The Ministry will continue to collaborate with the Latvian Sports Federation Council in evaluating applications submitted by sports federations, leveraging their in-depth knowledge of sport-specific details and their maintenance of the register of sports federations recognized in Latvia.
The approved amendments also reduce the need for sports federations to repeatedly submit similar information about their activities and planned events within short timeframes.
More information on the amendments can be found on the Cabinet of Ministers website through these links: “Amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 27 of January 9, 2024 “Procedure for Financing Sports Organizations”” and “Amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 819 of July 28, 2009 “Procedure for State Financial Support for the Preparation and Participation of National Teams in European and World Championship Qualifying Tournaments and Final Competitions””.
