Ukraine and Estonia: differences in sports development
https://bcl.com.ua/projects/strategiya-rozvitku-sportu-m-mariupol
Regular physical activity (at least once a week for at least 30 minutes) reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, obesity, mental disorders, and more. The overall level of physical activity among the population is often linked to the level of sports development in the country.
We began to discuss what is wrong with sport in Ukraine, using the example of Mariupol, when we were developing a Strategy for sport development for the city. In this article, we decided to compare the Ukrainian and Estonian models of promoting sport.
Why Estonia? Over the past decade, Estonia has successfully attracted citizens to mass sports, even though it was also part of the USSR and started from roughly the same conditions as Ukraine after gaining independence.
Comparison of sports development strategies in Ukraine and Estonia
We studied sports development strategies in both countries and identified the points that we believe are most important.
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Based on this, our team has identified six key points that distinguish Estonia from Ukraine:
1. The essence of the strategies
The Estonian document is a set of general principles for Estonian sports policy until 2030. It comprises five pages with a vision, clearly defined priorities, goals and key areas.
In addition to defining goals and directions, the Ukrainian document also outlines steps and tasks. On the one hand, this provides a more comprehensive picture of how the strategy will be achieved, but it often adds unnecessary repetition.
2. Structure
The Ukrainian strategy is difficult to understand because the issues, tasks and indicators for each area are scattered throughout the document in a chaotic manner.
3. Values
The Estonian strategy emphasises the formation of values (fair play, solidarity, engagement, openness, self-development) in society through regular participation in sports. In this way, sport creates a new culture in society, which becomes one of the key components in the fight against doping in the future. Sport should teach people to win fairly and lose with dignity.
The Ukrainian strategy does not specify any values.
4. Economy VS digitalisation
The Estonian strategy aims to assess the added value created by sports services and the tools that can encourage people to set up sports organisations. Regular physical exercise and sport are seen as an important component of the economy and employment.
On the other hand, Ukraine emphasises the need for digital transformation in this field: the strategy refers to the creation of electronic registers, remote service provision and the digitisation of all information.
5. High-performance sport VS mass sport
The Ukrainian strategy focuses primarily on high-performance sport. This field has the highest number of expected results (not only in terms of achievements in international competitions, but also in the construction of multi-sport centres).
The Estonian strategy emphasises mass sport.
6. Mental health
The Estonian strategy focuses on both mental and physical health. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian document uses the general term ‘health’, which prioritises physical condition.
As part of promoting and supporting sport and physical activity among young people, Estonia offers the following types of support:
Support for coaches and instructors of children's and youth sports
Every quarter, around 1,000-1,300 coaches and 30,000-40,000 young athletes receive support amounting to €0.8-1.7 million.
The maximum support for one coach per month in 2020 was €630, including taxes from the state. The employer must add at least €734.76, including taxes, to be eligible for support.
Support for hobby education
There is a focus on increasing access, diversity and quality of hobby education and activities for young people aged 7 to 19. The annual budget for this area is €15 million. It is allocated to local authorities depending on the number of young people in the municipality, and taking into account the problems they face.
School Olympic Games
This is an educational programme that promotes healthy sports, bringing together students, teachers, and parents. It is in line with the principles of the Olympic Charter in its spirit, essence, and rituals.
TV 10 Olümpiastarti
The Estonian Athletics Association has been organising the TV 10 Olümpiastarti competition for students for over 45 years, in which around 10,000 children and young people participate. The programme supports the promotion of youth sport.
Physical education in schools
Main objectives:
- to instil the value of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle as part of life
- to objectively assess one's level of physical fitness and use appropriate means and methods to develop physical abilities
- to recognise the importance of cooperation in sport and physical exercise
Schools can choose which direction to take and which lessons to offer their students. The options include gymnastics, athletics, and games (basketball, volleyball, and football). However, at least two lessons must be chosen. There is also a choice of one of the dance disciplines, navigation, and winter sports (skiing and skating).
There are also the following sports development programmes (as of 2019):
Schools on the Move
A programme that provides students with the opportunity to exercise throughout the school day: on the way to school, before lessons, between lessons and during breaks, as well as after the end of the school day.
Regional Sports and Health Centre Support Programme
This programme was relaunched in 2019 to promote physical activity. Its goal is to improve the quality of services and conditions for sports activities in at least one sports and recreation centre in each region.
Example of the renovation of a sports facility in Estonia — Tehvandi Sports Centre
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Infrastructure for exercise and sports
Estonia pays attention to the creation of sports and children's grounds, running tracks, outdoor gyms, a comprehensive network of bike paths and bike parking at public transport stops and schools.
Sports events
The Rally Estonia has been held in the country, with the ambitious goal of hosting the initial stages of the famous Tour de France cycling race.
Comparison of sports laws in Ukraine and Estonia
In addition to strategies, we also compared the sports laws in both countries.
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We have identified the differences that may have the greatest impact on the development of the industry:
1. Distribution of powers
Under Ukrainian law, powers are vested in the central executive authority, while in Estonia, responsibilities/powers are distributed according to the following levels: region-city-village.
2. Organisation of events
Estonian law contains a list of requirements for applying to host a sporting event (with particular attention to safety and order), grounds for refusal and penalties for violations.
Ukrainian law contains a mandatory provision on the inclusion of events in the Unified Calendar Plan of Physical Culture, Health and Sports Events of Ukraine. More attention is paid to advertising, organisation and information provision for events than to safety.
3. State financial support
Estonian law provides for a clear and structured distribution of state aid between Olympic winners and sports organisations. Both blocks contain clearly defined and understandable principles for receiving state support. For example, all sports organisations that have a development plan (mission, goals, measures and means for their implementation over four years) can count on state support.
In Ukrainian law, such provisions are often generalised or absent. However, there is a direction for state incentives for the establishment of physical culture and sports facilities (tax breaks, reduced tariffs, etc.).
4. General structure
Estonia's Sports Act was first drafted in 1998. In 2006, the document was updated to include requirements for the organisation of sporting events and a state support system for Olympic medallists.
The Ukrainian law, adopted in 1993, has been amended several times. As a result, the document is difficult to understand, as it is overloaded with definitions and repetitions.