Sportswriter: Government Should be More Decisive on Youth Sports Initiatives
Sports journalist Andrus Nilk believes the government should turn more attention to boosting youth sports and adds that the state of sports in the nation remained generally unchanged in 2012.
Nilk said that the Estonian Olympic Committee (EOC) concentrated on its presidential elections in 2012 and significant decisions were put off for the future. “Serious topics like improved social benefits for coaches and training a new generation of coaches have been on hold while power is handed over in EOC. That [the delay] has not delighted the sports community, who now are in a demanding mood: what will the new leadership deliver?” Nilk wrote on uudised.err.ee.
The Ministry of Culture has decided, as of this year, to step up its support for large public sporting events, said Nilk and added: “A primary aim of the Cabinet is to increase the portion of the population who regularly exercise to 45 percent. It is a good sign that the government has welcomed popular sporting events to help achieve the goal,” said Nilk.
According to Nilk, the ministry has also decided to support nternational sporting competitions held in Estonia. “Government support was crucial for the Estonian Basketball Association for daring to apply to organize the U20 European championship. The tournament is set to take place in Tallinn in July. The government has also supported U23 European championships in weightlifting in the capital and the gymnastics meet “Miss Valentine” in Tartu,” said Nilk.
In Nilk's opinion, the Cabinet should be more decisive in youth sports matters. “This affects the coaches dilemma, emphasizing PE classes in schools and increasing the availability of health checks for junior athletes. A promise, whereby, from January 1 2014, every child will be granted 130 euros per year for hobbies, including youth sports, will have to be executed,” he explained.
The coalition has been in conflict whether to waive social tax on employees' sports allowances. The Reform Party is against relinquishing the tax while IRL has taken the opposite stance. Nirk added, “The coalition should come to a common agreement or drop it from the government's agenda.”
Sportswriter Andrus Nilk is a member of the government watchdog “Valitsemise Valvurid”. The watchdog is a group of independent experts who update the website www.valvurid.ee on how the government is fulfilling its official coalition program.
The watchdog's website is managed by ERR and Praxis, and funded by the Open Estonia Foundation.