The Secretary of State for Youth and Sports wants to urgently meet the provider of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) because of the cuts in sports, one year away from Paris2024, the minister said on Wednesday.
“SCML has informed the federations that it is reviewing the sponsorship plan for sports events and is preparing to reduce support for said events,” João Paulo Correia wrote on his Twitter page.
The sports federations were notified via letters signed by provider Ana Jorge, who joined the SCML on May 2.
According to several reports that Lusa had access to, it concerns the review of the “sponsorship plan for 2023”, which also warns that sponsorship, on behalf of the Santa Casa Games, for the most part, in addition to current contracts, is not guaranteed.
“It is a support policy that fully fulfills SCML’s mission, based on the relevant societal role of sport. On the other hand, this decision is announced less than a year before the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with greater implications for the sector,” continues Joao Paulo Correia.
In this sense, also through the social network Twitter, the official announced the request for a meeting with Ana Jorge: “Taking into account the worrying decision of the SCML, this morning I will ask for an urgent meeting with the Ombudsman”.
With the worrying decision of the SCML in mind, I will be requesting an emergency meeting with the ombudsman this morning.
– João Paulo Correia (@jpcorreia_sejd) August 16, 2023
The justification for this reduction has to do with “the current economic and social situation”, which has placed “new social and financial demands on SCML in terms of supporting the most vulnerable populations”.
“The financial impact of this new reality forced SCML to rethink projects and strengthen responses in the face of a growing demand for the services provided by Misericórdia de Lisboa. This was accompanied by a significant loss of social game revenue from the state , the current budgetary situation that the institution is going through cannot be ignored,” reads one of the letters sent to several Olympic federations.
Ana Jorge is confident that these sports entities will understand the “difficult decision for the reasons shown”, without ruling out “a possible future reassessment of this situation if the assumptions change”.
“Supporting national sport, sports talent and major national events remains one of the main goals of the Jogos Santa Casa, who have followed a sponsorship strategy that turns partnerships into concrete tools for integration and social cohesion,” the official website reads in turn. from Jogos Santa Casa.
On the same website, the SCML believes that “sport is decisive in the fight against exclusion and discrimination, as well as in promoting a more egalitarian, inclusive and fair society. Driver of sport in Portugal, on a mission that has lasted for more than 10 years” .
The numbers leave no doubt and there are already many entities and athletes who have benefited from this support, with special emphasis on the work carried out in the Olympic, Paralympic and Deaf Olympic walk, without the development of adapted sports and the growth of women’s sport”, the SCML adds on its website.
Among the entities supported by Jogos Santa Casa, according to the list published on its website, are the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP), the Paralympic Committee of Portugal (CPP), the Confederation of Sport of Portugal (CDP) , the equestrian federations , motorcycling, handball, athletics, canoeing, cycling, football, gymnastics, judo, swimming, skating, rowing, rugby, surfing, table tennis, triathlon, volleyball and sports for people with disabilities.
Source: DN
