Spain’s Council of Ministers has approved a bill to overhaul national policy on sports through the revision and expansion of a law that dates to 1990. According to its proponent, the Spanish Minister of Culture and Sport Miquel Iceta, the new law would represent an advance in values and take into account the “exponential growth” of sports in Spain over the past three decades or so. Among other things, it would redefine sport and physical activity as rights for Spanish citizens. Both would fall under the purview of the government, which will have to implement policies to promote them and set rules for their safe practice at the suitable venues. The law would set up principles of fair play and equal access. Public and private sports entities would have to “balance” the gender make-up of their management, and professional leagues and federations would have to publish annual reports on equality and implement protocols to deal with discrimination, abuse and sexual harassment. Media coverage of men’s and women’s sports would have to be commensurate and free of sexist stereotypes. Female athletes would retain their vote in general meetings during maternity leave and their rights as athletes subsequently. Both LGBTQ and handicapped athletes would be granted equal access to sports.
In addition, the law would redefine the status of professional and non-professional athletes as well as that of high-level and high-performance athletes, the first regulated by the High Council for Sports (CSD) and the second by Spain’s autonomous communities. Furthermore, sports entities seeking to take part in professional competition would be free to choose their corporate status and dispense with the current requirement that they maintain a bank guarantee of 15 percent of budgeted expenditures.
