2023-12-04 18:15:25
SPÖ application to support volunteer sports officials rejected
Vienna (PK) – The ideas of the SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS on the promotion of sport are recorded in a series of applications with which the Sports Committee dealt with today. The MPs are particularly concerned about expanding the range of exercise and sports available for children and young people.
The SPÖ insists on supporting volunteer sports officials, expanding daily exercise sessions and expanding the swimming infrastructure. The FPÖ also has initiatives for daily exercise and nationwide free swimming courses.
The NEOS see conflicts of interest in federal sports funding that arise from the composition of the commission and are calling for the funding system to be reorganized. The NEOS also want e-sports to be recognized as a professional sport.
Except for the SPÖ application for funding for volunteer sports officials, which was rejected, the ÖVP and the Greens postponed all opposition concerns.
SPÖ: Promote volunteer officials
SPÖ sports spokesman Maximilian Köllner suggests developing an offensive to promote volunteer sports officials (3735/A(E)). In amateur sports, the aftermath of the pandemic is seeing a decline in officials, he says. The reasons for this are, in his opinion, the high requirements, such as the time required or the complicated administration. The introduction of the Austria-wide prize for special voluntary commitment in the sports sector is an important sign, but further measures are needed, says the applicant.
In the committee, Martin Graf (FPÖ) expressed his approval of the application. An increase in sports funding is also important in order to survive against competition from clubs that try to integrate through sport and are “very well subsidized”. He also shared the SPÖ’s assessment that, for example, potential trainers would be hindered in their training by a high level of time and administrative effort. Graf suggested that clubs that own the space should be exempt from taxes, fees and charges.
Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP), Eva Blimlinger and Agnes Sirkka Prammer (both Greens) countered the SPÖ’s initiative with numerous measures that had already been taken to promote sports clubs and their officials, such as increasing the flat-rate travel expense allowance (PRAE), the announcement a highly endowed honorary award in this area or improvements in the area of tax deductibility of donations. According to Blimlinger, there have “never been so many measures for volunteers in the field of sport as have been put in place under this federal government.” The SPÖ motion remained in the minority with the votes of the SPÖ and FPÖ and was therefore rejected.
SPÖ and FPÖ want the daily exercise unit to be implemented across the board
SPÖ sports spokesman Maximilian Köllner also wants to expand the daily exercise unit across the whole of Austria after the test phase is over in the ten pilot regions and establish it in the regular school system (3736/A(E)). Trends towards increasing the physical activity of children and young people in the pilot regions can already be identified. However, the funds for this have only been increased slightly in the sports budget, which is unfortunate.
FPÖ sports spokeswoman Petra Steger is also pursuing this goal with an application (3747/A(E)). In order to establish the daily exercise unit in the regular school system, long-term financing must be secured and a seamless transition from the pilot regions to the Austria-wide expansion must be promoted, she says.
The request was recognized across party lines anyway, Köllner stated in the committee and pointed out that investments in promoting children’s sports also meant savings in the health system. In general, this is a cross-departmental matter that also affects the ministries of health, education and finance. Petra Steger shared this view and raised the question of why the departments concerned no longer took part in the daily exercise session for children in a “collaboration”.
Christoph Zarits (ÖVP) emphasized the “overwhelming success” of the pilot phase. 1,000 school classes and 40 clubs took part and the budget estimate for 2024 already shows the next steps to expand the project, he argued in the motions to postpone both initiatives. According to Zarits, we are already in constant communication with the Ministry of Education about this.
Sports Minister Werner Kogler also emphasized that “a lot has already been achieved”, but showed understanding for the “justified impatience” regarding the nationwide rollout. He also agreed that this could not be implemented by the sports department alone in terms of budgetary and organizational requirements. When asked by Petra Steger about the cooperation between schools and sports clubs, Kogler explained that so far they had primarily relied on movement coaches. In the next phase of the project, club trainers will increasingly be used – also to ensure that there are young talent, says Kogler.
SPÖ and FPÖ for expanding the swimming infrastructure and the range of courses
In another motion for a resolution, Maximilian Köllner (SPÖ) calls for the expansion of swimming lessons and the swimming infrastructure in the form of indoor pools (3737/A(E)). After all, around 160,000 children and young people up to the age of 19 in Austria cannot swim, says Köllner. To ensure that every child in Austria has the opportunity to learn to swim, it is not enough to simply increase the number of swimming courses if the journey to the nearest swimming pool takes a long time.
The FPÖ sees a need for comprehensive and free swimming courses starting at kindergarten age (3769/A(E)). FPÖ MP Petra Steger complains about the lack of swimming skills among Austrian children and emphasizes that every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim, regardless of their socio-economic or cultural background.
Köllner spoke in the committee about a “horrifying number” of non-swimmers and explained that every second death among children and young people can be attributed to swimming accidents. Steger recalled the closure of swimming pools during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it impossible for “thousands of children” to have swimming lessons. With regard to infrastructure, she added that there is a lack of swimming pools not only in rural areas, but also in Vienna.
Lukas Hammer from the Greens confirmed the SPÖ and FPÖ’s findings regarding the lack of infrastructure, but did not see its expansion as the task of the Ministry of Sports, but rather the responsibility of the municipalities. The federal government has already earmarked €750,000 for swimming courses in 2024, Hammer explained both requests for postponement.
Alois Schroll (SPÖ) was not satisfied with this argument, as the government program also includes swimming courses for everyone. If this is not possible due to the lack of infrastructure, the federal government would have to “help” the communities, as Petra Tanzler Hammer countered.
NEOS: Reform of federal sports funding
Yannick Shetty (NEOS) is in favor of reforming federal sports funding in order to comply with a recommendation from the Court of Auditors (3696/A(E)). Specifically, the structure of the decision-making bodies is a thorn in the mandatary’s side. He identifies a conflict of interest because funding recipients are represented on the commissions that decide on the allocation of funding in accordance with the Federal Sports Funding Act. However, the Court of Auditors recommends an organization for sports funding that does not include representatives of funding recipients in the decision-making bodies, notes Shetty.
Christoph Zarits (ÖVP) argued that the application was postponed by saying that funding recipients had no decision-making role in the awarding process anyway. In addition, the application would be better served in the Court of Audit Committee.
NEOS demand e-sports package
Once again on the agenda was a motion for a resolution (2525/A(E)), with which NEOS MP Yannick Shetty advocates the submission of an e-sports legislative package. The aim must be to differentiate it from gambling and to achieve equality with professional sports. NEOS argue that e-sports is already a recognized sport in more than 60 countries. Since the original version of the motion stipulates that the legislative package will be presented by autumn 2022, Shetty submitted an amendment requesting proposals from the federal government by the first quarter of 2024. This NEOS motion was also postponed with the votes of the coalition factions. (End of Sports Committee) wit/sox
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