Sustainable Management of the Public Financial Model for Sports Support in Slovakia

Abstract

Sports represent an undeniable value associated with people’s health and leisure time. Therefore, research on sports management related to the overall setting of a sustainable sports funding model from public resources is vital. This article’s aim was to evaluate the sustainability of this form of sports funding in Slovakia. Since there is no complete, transparent database of the allocated subsidies at the national, regional, and local levels in this country, an important part of the research was the collection of diverse pieces of data. As part of the methodology, the research combines geographical and temporal comparisons of public sports funding at all levels of management. Multiple interviews with members of the professional sports community also provided important qualitative inputs. Due to the identified shortcomings in the current state of the model of public sports funding in Slovakia, it is considered unsustainable. Therefore, the article also contains specific recommendations for the improvement and gradual removal of the identified sustainability barriers. These implications lead to the future creation of a database clearly capturing public sports funding, with rules for its permanent operation and updating. To strengthen the transparency aspect, the database can be powered by blockchain technology.