Amendment to the Sports Act and Social Protection in Sport: A Step Towards Systemic Change
On 7 January 2026, the Council of Ministers adopted a draft amendment to the Sports Act, which will be submitted to parliamentary proceedings in the coming weeks. The proposed changes include, among others, strengthening protection for female athletes after childbirth and providing enhanced legal protection for sports referees.
Although the draft addresses specific challenges within the sports sector, it is worth viewing it in a broader context — as part of a growing European debate on the rights, status, and social protection of people working in sport.
Protection of Female Athletes After Childbirth – An Important Signal of Change
One of the key elements of the amendment is the strengthening of protection for female athletes after childbirth, including:
- extending the period during which sports scholarships are paid from 6 to 12 months,
- increasing the level of the scholarship during this period from 50% to 81.5%,
- granting female athletes rights equivalent to those of women employed under standard employment contracts.
These measures respond to long-standing and well-documented challenges, such as financial insecurity, lack of stability, and the risk of career interruption following motherhood.
From a European perspective, these steps are particularly significant. Research conducted within the international project SOPROS (Assessing, Evaluating and Implementing Athletes’ Social Protection in Olympic Sports), in which we were involved, shows that maternity protection remains one of the least regulated areas of athletes’ social protection. In many countries, it depends on discretionary decisions by federations or short-term contracts, rather than on clearly defined legal frameworks.
Protection of Sports Referees – Safety as a Pillar of Good Governance
The draft amendment also provides sports referees with legal protection equivalent to that of public officials, which includes:
- stricter penalties for acts of violence or verbal abuse,
- prosecution of such offences ex officio, rather than through private prosecution.
This represents an important step towards greater professionalism and enhanced safety in sport and aligns with a broader understanding of good governance. Protecting individuals who perform key roles in sport — not only athletes but also referees — is a prerequisite for fair competition and trust in the sports system.
From Targeted Measures to a Systemic Approach
While the proposed changes should be assessed positively, the amendment to the Sports Act also highlights the limitations of a piecemeal approach. Focusing on selected groups or situations does not address all the challenges related to social protection in sport.
This is why initiatives such as the SOPROS project, in which the Institute for Sport Governance actively participated, are becoming increasingly important. The project:
- analysed systems of athletes’ social protection in several European countries,
- identified legal and institutional gaps,
- and, above all, proposed frameworks for implementing social protection as a human right, regardless of an athlete’s employment form or legal status.
One of the key conclusions of SOPROS is the need for:
- clear definition of athletes’ status,
- improved coordination between the state, sport organisations, and social partners,
- development of social dialogue in sport,
- and moving from declarations to real implementation.
Towards Responsible and Sustainable Sport
The amendment to the Sports Act does not solve all existing problems — but it is an important signal of the direction in which the Polish sports system may evolve. If it is to become modern, fair, and resilient to crises, social protection must become an integral element of sport governance, rather than an ad hoc response to individual situations.
