The Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (UFEC) has renewed its request to the Spanish government for a subsidy to be given to consumers to boost sports participation. The initial request was among the measures proposed in the UFEC’s “Marshall Plan” for the sports industry, submitted in April 2020 with the support of all of the government’s unions of sports federations. The subsidy was to take the form of a cheque that consumers could spend on sporting activities. The new request is a reaction to the government’s launch in October 2021 of a €400 cheque to be spent on cultural products by the 500,000 or so Spaniards who will be turning 18 years of age over the course of 2022. As UFEC’s president, Gerard Esteva, notes, the cultural cheque is issued by Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport and should therefore include sporting activities as well. ”People who take part in sports,” he continues, “not only present a savings for the public health sector but also are healthier and better prepared to deal with the virus.”

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