The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà, considers “inadmissible the disregard for the sporting sector shown by this minister and the Sánchez government in general.”
The last Sports Conference was held in December 2023.
The Balearic Islands have requested an extension of the implementation deadlines for projects financed with European funds.
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The Government denounces Minister Alegría’s absence from the Sectoral Conference on Sports after convening it 19 months late
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauzà, strongly denounced the absence of Minister Pilar Alegría from the Sectoral Conference on Sports held this Tuesday in Madrid. “We cannot build a serious sports policy with a minister who turns her back on her institutional duties and abandons the autonomous communities,” said the minister, describing the situation as “inadmissible” and yet another example of the central government’s disconnection from the sporting reality of the regions.
Bauzà emphasised that Alegría preferred to attend another “more pleasant” event rather than fulfil her responsibility as minister of the sector. This attitude, he said, “is a sign of contempt toward the autonomous communities that work daily for the future of sport.”
The Balearic Islands demand an urgent shift in the sports policy of Pedro Sánchez’s government
This criticism is part of a joint complaint by the 14 sports departments of communities governed by the Popular Party—along with Ceuta and Melilla—against the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, accusing it of inaction and repeated breaches of its own promises and legislative obligations.
Bauzà—like the rest of the Popular Party representatives—lamented that the Regulation of the Sports Law, approved in 2022, remains undeveloped, even though the law established a six-month deadline. “More than two years have passed, and the Ministry has yet to complete even the most basic tasks,” they stated.
They also criticised that the Sectoral Conference was only convened following the joint letter sent by the PP-led regions, and that the Ministry failed to include on the agenda all the issues requested by more than a third of its members, as required by the regulations.
Additionally, the PP-led regions demanded the extension of deadlines to implement the European funds linked to sports, within the framework allowed by the European Union until 2026. They also warned that the Ministry has yet to regulate sports insurance, which is hindering regional initiatives and putting athlete protection at risk.
Nevertheless, the regional ministers voted in favour of distributing the INJUVE funds, after ensuring that the Ministry agreed to include the effective participation of the autonomous communities in their rollout. They recalled that the execution rate of these funds has been below 30% over the last two years, leaving essential resources for promoting youth sports unused.
“We cannot allow the integrity and future of Spanish sport to depend on an inoperative government,” concluded Minister Bauzà.