Monaco’s National Council has voted through a comprehensive new law governing sport in the Principality. The law sets rules for everything from shared sports facilities and paid coaches to leave for athletes and criminal penalties for doping, six months before Monaco hosts the Games of the Small States of Europe.

Bill No. 1088 on sport was adopted on Thursday 5th November, nearly three years after it was tabled by the Government in December 2023. Its stated aim is to give sport a clear legal framework so that it can be practised by as many people as possible, in every discipline, at any age and at any level.

“The objective was indeed ambitious,” Interior Minister Lionel Beffre told councillors, thanking Mathilde Le Clerc, President of the Education, Youth and Sport Committee, for her report on the text.

Sharing space in a small territory

Much of the law is shaped by Monaco’s size. Sports facilities and equipment across the Principality must now be recorded so they can be used and shared more widely. The law also sets rules for sporting activity on public land and for the organisation of sporting events.

“The law sets out rules governing the practice of sport on public property, in order to retain control over our space, which is, after all, rather limited,” said Beffre.

Event organisers will need authorisation and insurance under the bill as tabled. Paid coaches and instructors will need recognised qualifications and authorisation to work in Monaco.

Support for clubs and elite athletes

Sports associations that receive a new ‘sport’ label will be eligible for specific financial support and priority access to facilities.

For top athletes, the law enshrines agreements designed to support high-performance sport. It also introduces sports leave, which allows people taking part officially in international competitions or competitions abroad to request an exceptional authorised absence from work, subject to approval by public and private employers. In the bill as tabled, that leave was capped at 12 days a year.

The text also strengthens the rules for Monegasque sports federations. It places Monaco’s international commitments on doping in law, with a system of sanctions for doping offences to complement the existing Monegasque Anti-Doping Committee.

Years in the making

Beffre said the text was the result of extensive consultation with institutions, committees, private bodies, insurers, federations, associations and coaches, both while it was being drafted and after it was tabled. He credited his predecessor, Patrice Cellario, for his role in bringing it forward.

“I note that this law was awaited by elected officials and by the population, but it was also awaited by the Government,” he said. “Considerable work has been carried out, almost as much, if not more, in its approach, in defining its scope and the rules and measures it contains, as in the drafting itself.”

He described the process as one of institutional dialogue with the committee and the National Council, aimed at “a balanced framework, worthy of the values that sport conveys”.

“Important, even fundamental”

The law comes as Monaco prepares to host the Games of the Small States of Europe from 17th to 22nd May 2027. Beffre linked the event to the Principality’s long-standing commitment to sport and to the passion of its Princes.

“This bill is intended to regulate an area that is important, even fundamental, for many Monegasques and residents,” he said. “Sport contributes significantly to wellbeing. It gives everyone resources and often allows people to find their own fulfilment. It also often brings greater social cohesion and inclusion and contributes to the development of the Principality.”

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