“Once this legal requirement is fulfilled, the funds will be immediately transferred to the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP) and the Paralympic Committee of Portugal (CPP) following the necessary procedural steps,” explained the source.
According to the Secretary of State for Sport (SED), the 65 million euros announced by the Government at the end of 2024, during a ceremony at the COP, “were never frozen” and have been with the Court of Auditors for several weeks for approval, “a legal requirement” that was formalized today.
The sector emphasizes the 46.1% increase in support for sports this year, insisting it is an “unprecedented investment” in Portugal.
“In addition to the increase outlined in the State Budget activity map, measures announced by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs on December 17, 2024, at a ceremony held at the COP were added. This program envisions an extraordinary investment of 65 million euros for the development of sports in Portugal, which will be executed between 2025 and 2028,” it highlighted.
The SED insists that “there is no government backtracking on promises to increase sports funding” and denies that a circular was sent to federations indicating that funding for regular activities would remain the same as in 2024.
