Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) assured this Tuesday that the ongoing review of its sponsorship plan for various institutions and entities, namely sports federations and the Olympic Committee, “does not jeopardize the Olympic project for 2024”.
In response to questions from Lusa, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) stressed that the review of its financial aid policy extends to “various institutions and entities”, including the support of the Santa Casa Games to national sports federations, the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP) and the Portuguese Paralympic Committee (CPP).
“At a time of great economic and social challenges, the aim is to create a more balanced and sensible model of partnership in the financial support given to national sport by the Jogos Santa Casa, namely through the National Federations, the COP and the CPP, invaluable partners in the development of SMCL’s mission,” he stressed.
Santa Casa recalled that it is going through a period of “financial constraints”, exacerbated by the drop in social game revenues and the increase in requests for social support.
Therefore, “it is conducting a thorough review of its entire policy of financial partnerships and sponsorships to external entities, in order to create more efficient and sustainable mechanisms”.
SCML stated that it will remain “strongly” committed to supporting national sport through a new model “better suited to its financial availability and able to provide a robust response within the framework of partnerships with sport federations, the COP and the CPP”.
Several official sources confirmed to Lusa on Tuesday that the SCML warned several sports federations about the need to review its sponsorship plan, less than a year away from the 2024 Paris Olympics, through letters signed by the provider, Ana Jorge, who took over the duties on 2 May last.
In the letters sent, Ana Jorge is confident that these sports entities will “understand” the “difficult decision for the reasons stated”, without ruling out “a possible future reassessment of this situation if the premises change”.
In response, the president of the Portuguese Olympic Committee (COP) said he feared the SCML would limit itself to cutting funds allocated to a “significant proportion” of federations with Olympic participation, less than a year after Paris 2024.
José Manuel Constantino said he understands that the new management of SCML “wants to reassess the support criteria for different entities, given the situation of deep crisis discovered in the audits already carried out and due to the intervention of the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding investments in Brazil”.
However, he stressed that he would not have such an understanding attitude if the cuts were made only in the sports sector, in a value that José Manuel Constantino says is irrelevant to SCML’s treasury.
Constantino assumed availability for an eventual meeting with SCML’s new provider.
This morning, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, João Paulo Correia, announced the request for an urgent meeting with Ana Jorge and considered that the cuts to support SCML in sport will have “greater consequences for the sector” due to the mutual adaptation of 2024 Olympic Games.
Santa Casa has not responded to other questions from the Lusa agency, namely how many and which federations are involved in the review of its sponsorship plan, what is the estimate of the amounts to be cut and when does it expect to have a final decision on aid to to cut back and aid to preserve and why it made this decision less than a year before the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Among the entities supported by Jogos Santa Casa, according to the list published on its website, in addition to the COP and the CPP, are the Portuguese Sports Federation (CDP), equestrian sports, motorcycling, handball, athletics, canoeing, cycling, football , gymnastics, judo, swimming, skating, rowing, rugby, surfing, table tennis, triathlon, volleyball and sports for people with disabilities.
Constantino admits that insufficient funds have been allocated by the Santa Casa
The 115,000 euros annually awarded to athletes by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa for scholarships in the Olympic preparation program are insufficient, said the president of the Olympic Committee of Portugal (COP).
“Not only do they not cover the administrative costs of the operation, but the COP has to add its own income to that amount in order to consider the whole range of athletes who integrate these criteria that are taken into account for the respective candidacies. Now the money remains not at the COP and it goes to the athletes. We are just an administrative gateway,” José Manuel Constantino told the Lusa agency.
Through letters signed by provider Ana Jorge, who took office in May, SCML warned the sports federations and the COP of the need to reassess sponsorship less than a year away from the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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.
“This thing of permanently invoking social responsibility, but then behaving like an agency of pure and hard capitalist nature, balancing the financial backing against the return it can have in promotional terms, does not take into account reality of a social character to which many modalities cannot contribute. It accentuates the inequality in the support of organizations [desportivas] and it is not very positive for sustainable development [do setor]complained the leader of the COP.
The reduction is justified by the “economic and social situation we are experiencing”, which has placed “new social and financial demands on SCML” among the “most vulnerable populations”, without ruling out “any future reassessment” of the situation as the premises change.
“It would be relevant for the country to know the financial value that sports transport into the Treasury of Santa Casa games and the percentage of that volume that has a return on sports organizations, either in what is required by law or in sponsorship contracts. It was very important to understand what balance, if any, exists and which entities, without contributing to the construction of this value, ultimately benefit,” said José Manuel Constantino.
Among the entities supported by Jogos Santa Casa, according to the list published on its website, are the COP, the Portuguese Paralympic Committee (CPP) and the Portuguese Sports Federation (CDP), as well as handball, athletics and cycling, canoeing , horse riding, football, gymnastics, judo, motorcycling, swimming, skating, rowing, rugby, surfing, table tennis, triathlon, volleyball and sports for the disabled.
“If [a provedora] understands that our presence is helpful, we will be fully available to express our views on these matters. If you understand, as you have understood so far, that our participation is not necessary, and in some cases even desirable, we will not invite you. We are, of course, fully available to cooperate with whatever is needed, but this cooperation does not pay off for our silence,” he concluded.
The announced cuts in SCML’s financial support to the sector have prompted the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, João Paulo Correia, to announce the request for an urgent meeting with Ana Jorge, after describing that decision as “worrying” had marked.
Source: DN
