New sports act signed
Bronisław Komorowski, Speaker of the Seym and Acting President, signed the new Act on Sport on Monday, July 5th. The new piece of legislation will replace the existing acts on physical culture and on professional sports once it takes effect three months from the date of its publication in the Journal of Laws.
The new act contains provisions that introduce European standards into Polish sports. The aim of the act is to deregulate sports. The new act will replace the existing acts on physical culture and on professional sport.
The act is also intended to strengthen the position of sports clubs. Clubs should be corporate bodies with their own legal identity. Legal barriers to the financing of sports by public authorities in general, and by local governments in particular, will be removed.
The act strengthens the central position of national sports federations, in line with the rule that there should be one federation in each sport. However, the federations must abide by the law and be democratic and transparent organizations. The act sets the minimal requirements concerning the statutes of Polish sports federations.
Polish sports federations will have two years from the date of entry into force of the new legislation to adjust their activities, and especially their statutes and internal rules, to the requirements of the new act.
The act also introduces regulations that criminalize offences against the principles of sports competition. These regulations are intended to ensure that the rules of fair play are respected in sports competitions. Accepting material benefits in exchange for unfair behaviour that affects the results of a sports competition will be punishable by eight to ten years in prison. The most harmful doping offences will also be criminalized. Actions resulting in minors or competitors unwittingly using prohibited substances or methods will be punishable by fines or by up to two years of prison.