PROGRAM OF GOVERNMENT 2017-2020 Stimulation of Sports The Government will support policies that will increase the number of citizens (of all ages, social groups and background) continuously practicing sports and recreational activities. To this end, we will place top priority on creating high-quality sports system in schools and universities. Special support will be given to achieving high-quality results in national competitions and success of individual athletes participating in international competitions. The Government will propose a new Law on Sports, which will define the status of sports and athletes in our country, stable sources of funding for sports activities in central and local budgets, and the possibility of direct support to sport with funds from businesses. The Government will support national sports federations in creating a modern system of national competitions and fully respect the autonomy of national sports federations. Our goal is to increase the percentage of people who practice sports from the current 2 percent of the population to 20 percent, who will be included in the “sports for all” project. By setting up a real model of school sports, we will increase the number of pupils who practice sports from the current 5,000 to 50,000 students in primary and secondary education. Sports facilities, which from 2000 are subject to manipulation and exploitation will be given back to athletes and young people. They are currently used for everything else but their main purpose. We will provide a legal framework and conditions so these facilities are managed and used by local self-government units. Some of them will be handed over to national sports federations and the best clubs, while those with quality equipment, functionality and standards for organizing major international competitions will be under direct state management and made available to federations and athletes. The Government will initiate procedures toward establishment of a sports financing fund within the Agency for Youth and Sports, which will collect all funds allocated to sports development. It will be funded from levies collected from issuing sports betting permits, a share of each individual betting ticket sold and a share of lottery games payments. The Government will establish a National Council of Sports composed of the top five sports federations ranked according to predetermined criteria, the President of the Macedonian Olympic Committee and the Director of the Agency for Youth and Sports. We will determine the maximum quotas for obtaining financial benefits from the state, while sports entities will be divided into three categories depending on the degree of competition and its significance for the popularization of sport and promotion of the country. Financial incentives will be provided by diverting part of the profit tax charged on enterprises. Enterprises will be allowed to invest part of their commitment to corporate income tax to a sports club or athlete. 58