One year and five days after its approval by the Council of Ministers, the new sports law completed its parliamentary journey this Thursday. It received the General Assembly of Congress’s backing, which approved all amendments from the Senate.
The text will be approved in the Official State Bulletin and published soon, renewing regulations that have been in effect since October 1990. It aligns with the government’s commitment to the European Commission to access European funds from the Recovery Plan for modernizing the Spanish model. In this final session of the year, deputies settled the definitive stance of their group on the law, marking the third major reform of the democratic era.
Antón Cacho of the Socialist Group called the law “an important breakthrough for athletes’ rights, equality, and participation” and for updating the sports system with new transparency and governance standards. Front-line opposition came from the PP, which labeled the law as “waste paper,” and Vox, which described it as “the worst law of democracy” and a text that is only “minimally” complete. The Basque Group, while expressing some satisfaction, noted room for improvement, and the Republican group acknowledged partial agreement.
The new law recognizes the right to physical activity and sport and introduces egalitarian and non-discriminatory measures across gender, sexual orientation, race, and disability. It defines athletes’ rights and duties, classifying participants as professionals, non-professionals, high level athletes (as determined by the Supreme Board of Sports), high performance athletes (authorized by autonomous communities), and occasional participants licensed for specific activities.
Professional athletes gain rights that protect family life, balance academic and professional commitments, and provide special protections for maternity and paternity with safeguards ensuring a return to work at the end of their careers. The law also covers volunteering, educational sports at schools, and recognizes the Sports Industry Conference as a platform for dialogue among all levels of government and as a vehicle for regional cohesion. It eliminates the requirement that a sports organization be a limited company to enter professional competitions and redefines the powers of the Sports Administrative Court, which will no longer resolve on-field rule violations.
Senate changes
From its initial proposal by the executive on December 17, 2021, the law spent eleven months in Congress, awaiting approval by the General Assembly and then returning for final consolidation this Thursday after more than twenty amendments from the Senate.
The first pivotal moment occurred on March 17, when Congress rejected an amendment backed by the Republican group on the grounds of jurisdiction. The rejection came during a heated Culture and Sport Commission debate on October 25, when support ebbed among the Popular Party and Ciudadanos due to a compromise with the Socialists and the PNV that opened the door to international regional competition.
The option to cover sports modalities or specialties with the characteristics described by the international federation, including historical and social roots, was tied to the status of the communities and the formation of the autonomous federation. Basque pelota and surfing were cited as examples. This innovation was approved by the Lower House on November 3, with 166 votes in favor, 157 against, and 18 abstentions, though not with the consensus the government had hoped for.
As the law passed through Congress, some groups argued that certain provisions should be revisited. The League and Football pointed to potential strikes if issues were not addressed. Debates focused on whether the current jurisdiction would remain for all business matters, including audiovisual rights, and on the need for binding reports from professional leagues amid regulatory changes by federations. A related issue involved the organization of federations and state-level competitions, with the law preventing the creation of commercial relationships with athletes who might join federations that operate outside a clear governance framework. This came amid news about the agreement between the Spanish Football Federation and a Barcelona-based company related to the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
In early December, the Senate plenary approved the text with more than twenty amendments after rejecting a veto motion from Vox. Among the changes approved by both chambers were five from the Socialist Group, including the creation of a “Struggle” tax incentive program to help sports organizations secure private funding for events and activities. This mechanism allows large companies to honor commitments to the regions where they operate by contributing to sporting events that support rural development and population stabilization.
Other provisions require federations and professional leagues to develop explicit plans for reconciliation and shared responsibility, with special protections for maternity and breastfeeding situations. These measures reinforce the governance framework and the commitment to fair play across all levels of sport in the country. [Attribution: Legislative Records, Senate and Congress proceedings]