The Ministry of Sports and Youth announced that when proposing sports clubs that will be co-financed, "they were guided by clear goals and principles within the framework of legal possibilities and available budget funds."
On Friday, the Minister of Sports and Youth, Dragoslav Šćekić, signed contracts on the co-financing of programs with 12 sports clubs from the First Category of sports that are on the program of the Olympic Games.
The Ministry of Sports and Youth allocated 170 euros for the clubs from the mentioned category, and the funds were given to: Football Club "Gorštak" Kolašin; Women's football club "Breznica" Pljevlja; Basketball club "Sutjeska" Nikšić; Women's basketball club "Primorje" Herceg Novi; Swimming water polo club "Budućnost" Podgorica; Swimming Water Polo Club "Budva-Budva Riviera" Budva; Handball club "Lovćen" Cetinje; Women's handball club "Budućnost" Podgorica; Volleyball club "Budva" Budva; Women's Volleyball Club "Galeb" Bar; Athletic Club "Sanja" Bar; Athletic club "Rudar" Pljevlja.
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We transmit the reaction of the Ministry in full:
"Regarding the text published on the Vijesti portal about the co-financing of sports clubs by the Ministry of Sports and Youth, we want to give a denial and point out the facts that were key in the process of distributing funds.
When proposing sports clubs to be co-financed, the Ministry of Sports and Youth was guided by clear goals and principles within the framework of legal possibilities and available budget funds.
When making the decision, account was taken of equal regional representation, gender equality, club traditions, as well as public interest in the field of sports. Our goal was to, through this support, support not only renowned sports clubs, but also those that deal with the development of young talents and the popularization of sports among young people. Also, we were guided by the fact that this type of support should be aimed at improving their work and improving conditions for athletes, in order to create conditions for better results in the future.
Criticisms related to the alleged absence of competition are unfounded and based on an arbitrary interpretation of the Law on Sports. Namely, Article 118 of the Law on Sports stipulates that the Ministry can, with the prior consent of the Government, co-finance sports clubs that perform sports activities in the type of sports that are in the I category of sports that are on the program of the Olympic Games, with the fact that a maximum of two can be co-financed club of the same type of sport. Therefore, it clearly follows from the cited legal provision that there is no prescribed obligation to call for tenders for this method of financing sports clubs.
Also, we would like to point out that the same procedure for awarding support to sports clubs from the I category of sports that are on the program of the Olympic Games was applied in previous years, starting from 2019.
Finally, we emphasize that the Ministry of Sports and Youth will continue to invest efforts in improving the conditions for the development of sports in Montenegro. We are sure that this kind of support will yield results in the future, both in terms of sporting success and in the aim of popularizing sports among young people," the response states.
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