Government sets aside 1% of budget for public sports initiatives
The Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais has approved a bill that requires the state to allocate at least 1% of its budget to sports, marking a significant step towards promoting sports development and investment in the region. The measures outlined in the bill will come into effect on January 1, 2026, but the bill's approval does not guarantee that Governor Romeu Zema will sign it into law.
The bill, which was developed through an analysis of public budgets at federal, state, and municipal levels over the past few years, aims to provide stability and predictability for public policies focused on sports, particularly in vulnerable regions. State Deputy Arnaldo Silva, the author of the bill, emphasised the need for resources for sports to ensure quality actions.
The approved project aligns Minas Gerais with the federal constitution's directive that determines it as the state's duty to promote formal and informal sports practices. The bill was evaluated in the second round by parliamentarians on July 15th. If signed into law, the bill will be a significant milestone in the state's sports landscape.
The bill does not specify how the funds will be allocated or what specific sports policies will be implemented. However, it is anticipated that the funds will be used to support sports infrastructure, athlete development, and community sports programmes. The idea is to encourage the allocation of resources not only to high-performance sports but also to educational and community sports.
In Minas Gerais, local football clubs such as Atlético Mineiro (Atletico-MG) have drawn attention from major investors, such as the billionaire Stan Kroenke considering investment in Atlético-MG’s Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF), indicating a climate open to private sector sponsorship and investment after regulatory approval. Sports betting is also becoming a significant industry in Brazil and may be connected to new policies supporting sports financing and investments more broadly.
Without more explicit details, the specific provisions of the law (e.g., funding sources, governance mechanisms, beneficiary programmes) remain unspecified. The impact of the bill on sports development and funding in Minas Gerais is yet to be seen. State Deputy Arnaldo Silva, the bill's author, stated that sports are important, save lives, bring discipline, and health, but without investments, quality actions won't be possible.
The bill's approval is a positive step towards investing in sports infrastructure and athlete development in Minas Gerais. As the bill awaits Governor Romeu Zema's approval, sports enthusiasts and stakeholders in the region eagerly await the potential benefits that this new policy could bring.
The approval of the bill, focused on policy-and-legislation and sports, marks a significant step in the politics of Minas Gerais, with the aim of providing stability for public policies and ensuring quality actions in sports, particularly in vulnerable regions. This bill aligns with the general-news of the state's constitution, emphasizing the duty to promote formal and informal sports practices. The subsequent implementation of this bill, if signed into law, could have a profound impact on the sports industry in Minas Gerais, potentially attracting private sector investment, such as that from major investors like Stan Kroenke, and creating opportunities for sports betting to become a significant industry.
