A day after the first report in Israel Hayom that the various sports associations cannot continue to function after the money promised to them by the Sports Ministry for this year has not yet arrived, Olympic sports in Israel are in turmoil. Since the article was published, many other industries have raised their claims with Israel Hayom, some of whom have been forced to take far-reaching steps in order to survive the year.
In fencing, for example, the teammates had to skip a training camp abroad this month, as they do every year, after the travel agency refused to sell plane tickets before the union closed a NIS 104,000 debt. And if that wasn't enough, the money to pay cash for the camp itself was not found.
"The fact that we still have no idea what our current budget is and we're nearing the end of August, the fact that we don't have cash flow, brings us to an end," the union complains. "Our suppliers may wait for payment, but just as a travel agency currently sets conditions for us, so next time we will have to look for other suppliers. We owe our athletes and their parents, in general, that the funds don't reach us. We're afraid to answer phones, because we don't have excuses to tell them anymore."
The Fencing Association is in distress. And he's not the only one, Photo: EPA
Rowing is also frustrated by the situation: "We are a union that did not receive support last year and therefore we did not receive the 60% that was talked about, but a very small amount. At the moment, part of the loan needs to be repaid on September 1, when we have not received support. We have given up on significant preparatory competitions, and at the moment the athletes are financing the trip to the upcoming competition themselves. The delay is unreasonable and shows improper functioning of the system."
The chairman of one of the unions added: "The situation is 'on its face'. We are eagerly awaiting the distribution of funds after approval of the model. The absurdity is that we don't know when we will receive nor how much we will receive. We're in the middle of August and we still don't know what the budget for the year that is coming to an end is. We operate on assumptions and hope for the best."
The Sports Ministry said: "Yesterday (Wednesday, August 16) the Ministerial Support Committee approved the union model, which determines the budgetary framework for each union. Each association is required to submit performance reports, and according to what is reported, the Ministry of Culture and Sport will pay the funds. The sooner the unions submit the performance reports, the more progress the transfer of funds will be."
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Israel Hayom's examination of a number of unions, as of yesterday, had not yet received any performance reports.
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