Sports minister calls for fair play towards officials

This month sees the second Week of the Official, organised by the Flemish Sports Federation to thank the region’s thousands of sporting officials.

“We should not take our officials and the work they do for granted,” Muyters said. “They deserve our respect. If we were able to enjoy some fantastic sporting moments at the Olympic Games in Rio, it was in part thanks to them. And it goes without saying that they should be celebrated as we celebrated our athletes.”

Gratitude to the officials for sporting high points is one thing, Muyters said, but sporting federations also need to provide consistent support for their own officials, for example by creating a clear and consistent policy, by training and by continuing education. To help matters along, the government will grant extra subsidies from January to federations that show progress in implementing the ministry guidelines.

“It is important that officials are well trained and able to rely on top-quality support from their sport,” Muyters said. “So important, in fact, that we are prepared to make this a factor in the financing of federations.”

Photo: Ingimage