New law on sports passed to help athletes after career

Ljubljana, 5 December - Parliament passed in May a new umbrella bill on sports, replacing a two decades-old piece of legislation. The new law aims to boost access to recreation for the general population and eliminate delays in the funding of sports organisations. It gives more power to inspections, officially introduces an athlete ombudsman, and regulates the employment of athletes across the public sector as opposed to only in the police, army or customs service. While emphasis is also placed on providing education for athletes so as to smooth their transition to regular lives after the end of their career, the law took flack from the opposition Left and the Athletes' Trade Union, which claimed it discriminates against athletes in terms of labour rights, for instance allowing the chaining of temporary contracts for up to 10 years. Large-scale action against the law, including a constitutional review, was announced by the union, but things quieted down after a group of acclaimed athletes stepped forward in its defence.