President Nikos Christodoulides announced on Wednesday evening the establishment of a National Sports Council, which will prepare a comprehensive proposal for the creation of a Deputy Ministry of Sports, as well as the doubling of state funding for the preparation of Cypriot athletes for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Speaking at an event at the Presidential Palace marking 40 years of sports cooperation between Cyprus and Greece, President Christodoulides said the Council was approved by the Cabinet earlier on Wednesday and would serve as a high-level body bringing expertise and scientific knowledge into sports.
Among its priorities, he said, would be the preparation of a comprehensive proposal for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Sports, which he described as an institution that Cyprus currently lacks.
The President also announced that funding for the preparation of Cypriot athletes for Los Angeles 2028 would rise to €700,000, from €350,000 provided for the Paris 2024 Games. The programme will be implemented by the Cyprus Sports Organisation from January 1, 2027, he said, adding that the amount had already been included in the first draft of the state budget approved by the Cabinet.
President Christodoulides said sports was a top priority for his administration and referred to a series of measures, including an updated post-career professional rehabilitation scheme for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, irrespective of their ranking, the upgrading and construction of sports facilities, equalisation of benefits for able-bodied and athletes with disabilities, and measures to combat violence and promote security in sports.
The President also highlighted the 40th anniversary of uninterrupted sports cooperation between Cyprus and Greece, recalling the signing of the first Sports Protocol in 1986. He described it as an act of major national and social significance, noting that it came at a difficult period for Cyprus following the 1974 Turkish invasion.
He said the bilateral cooperation was now entering a “new, more dynamic era” through the evolution of the agreement into a Sports Cooperation Protocol, providing a stronger institutional framework for continued interaction between the two countries.
President Christodoulides expressed the gratitude of the state and the Cypriot people to the Greek Government and people, while describing Cypriot and Greek athletes as role models who keep alive the universal values of Olympism.
CNA/TKE/EPH/2026
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY