Scholarships and audiovisual rights: what the Sports Decree provides for

Scholarships for sporting merit for university students, the development of sports facilities within the Ministry of Defence, and safety measures for use of swimming pools open to the public. These are some of the provisions of Decree-Law 108/2026, containing ‘Urgent provisions on sport, the staging of major events and the validity of identity documents’, approved by the Chamber of Deputies on 23 July and today, Wednesday 29 July, by the Senate as well.

Under Article 2, the decree authorises expenditure of a further 15 million euros for the year 2026, of which 6.5 million is earmarked for the construction of related or ancillary works in the municipality of Taranto, which must be completed by 31 December 2026. In the event of failure to meet the deadline or fulfil the additional requirements, the funding will be withdrawn.

Swimming pools, whether public or private but open to the public, which are fitted with a recirculation system for water treatment comprising water intake points, must ensure a level of safety sufficient to prevent the suction effect on bathers’ bodies. In the event of non-compliance, the facility will be closed until it complies with the regulations. This is laid down in Article 4 bis of the decree. For 2026, €4,725,000 has been allocated for the upgrading of public swimming pools.

A proportion of the economic and financial resources derived from contracts entered into for the marketing of audiovisual rights will be allocated to the organisers of the professional Serie A Femminile league and the professional league of Serie C. This is set out in Article 6, which also specifies that the sum will amount to 0.5 per cent of total revenue for both the Women’s Serie A and Serie C. The funds must be spent on the development of the women’s and men’s youth sectors of member clubs, to encourage investment in infrastructure and in the quality of coaching staff for male and female athletes eligible for selection for the national teams. A further 10 per cent will then be allocated to the development of the youth sectors of sports clubs and to the training of players eligible for selection for the Italian men’s and women’s youth national teams, as well as to supporting investment in sports facilities. However, the reference to regional federation centres and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has been removed.

Funding of two million euros for 2027 will be allocated to the Family Grant Fund, designed to support associations, clubs and organisations providing sporting and recreational activities for children aged between 6 and 14. This is set out in Article 7, which also specifies that the young people must be fiscally dependent on members of a household with an ISEE value of 15,000 euros or less.