Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja (SDE), whose area of responsibility includes sports, said the decision was due to deficiencies identified in the sports school's operations, along with the city's goal of reducing the fragmentation of similar activities across various different institutions and departments.

"Tallinn will continue to support young sporting talents, both now and in the future. Going forward, however, this support will be managed through the Tallinn Culture and Sports Department using open application rounds, similar to other forms of sectoral support," Oja said.

Oja also highlighted two major reasons for the decision. "Firstly, several major and systemic flaws have been identified in the operations of the Tallinn Sports School, as highlighted by the city's internal audit last summer. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of willingness to address these issues and to make the system more open and transparent.," Oja said.

"Secondly, it's important to evaluate how effectively the sports school's system has been in distributing support. The Tallinn Culture and Sports Department manages other city sports supports with significantly fewer costs and personnel, yet also handles a larger number and budget of supports," he added.

According to a City of Tallinn press release, an internal audit conducted last year revealed that the conditions for accepting young athletes were unclear and inconsistent with the sports school's statutes. The audit also found that the established application process was unreasonable, and the evaluation of applications was opaque.

The selection of partners as well as the formulation of contract costs were also deemed to be non-transparent, and the conditions were too narrowly directed at a limited circle of sports clubs. Since the sports school did not demonstrate significant added value, the internal audit recommended considering the discontinuation of the institution and transferring its tasks to the city's Culture and Sports Department.

The budget for the current year has largely been allocated through existing contracts with various Tallinn sports clubs that provide additional opportunities for young athletes. Following the discontinuation of the sports school, the Culture and Sports Department will continue to fulfill these contracts. Concurrently, the department will also develop a new support measure in line with the City Council regulations to support young athletes.

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