Portugal’s government is convening a special Council of Ministers meeting focused entirely on sports legislation, underscoring its broad commitment to promoting athletic activity and increasing related investment.
The dedicated session will take place Thursday at the Jamor High Performance Center, located in the Oeiras municipality near Lisbon.
A source from the office of Margarida Balseiro Lopes, the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, confirmed to Lusa news agency that this week’s government meeting is thematic. This approach mirrors a May 2024 session that concentrated solely on youth-related issues.
Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has previously emphasized his government’s dedication to sports. In September, during a meeting with athletes at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, he stated the current administration “is a friend of sport.”
Montenegro articulated that his government views sports practice as a “boost to human development,” aiming to “universalize the practice.” He affirmed that promises to expand sports equipment, support federations, and back the Portuguese Olympic Committee are “underway.”
The Prime Minister described the strategic plan for sport being developed by the government as comprehensive, from “A to Z.”
He also underscored the importance of perseverance in sports, noting, “It is known that to achieve a certain result, one must start from the beginning, not give up, and fulfill all stages until the moment of glory of seeing the Portuguese flag hoisted.”
In December last year, the government announced an additional investment of approximately $69.5 million (€65 million) in sports for the 2024-2028 period. This announcement was made during the previous PSD/CDS-PP executive.
Pedro Duarte, then the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs responsible for sports and now the Mayor of Porto, called the initiative “an unprecedented, unique program, an Olympic record from the point of view of investment in sport.”
The 2024-2028 Sports Program-Contract, signed at the Portuguese Olympic Committee headquarters, outlines five measures and 14 programs. These initiatives align with four key government objectives for the sector.
These objectives include increasing sports participation, promoting gender equality by reducing the gap between men and women, bringing Portugal closer to “good European practices,” and decreasing levels of overweight and obesity within the population.
The ministerial meeting is scheduled to begin at 09:30 local time, with a press conference also held at the Jamor High Performance Center afterward.