AMMONITION to National Sporting Entities that threaten disqualifications or pecuniary sanctions.

Assuming that sport is for everyone and no one has exclusive rights, I would like to clarify this.

1. Amateur Sports Associations were born to promote sporting activity.

2. Every citizen has the right to practice sport freely, where he best wishes and where he believes he is best protected.

3. Sport is for everyone and not for some.

Based on these considerations, we reiterate that every citizen is free to participate in sporting events organized by any Sporting Entity that is free to organize sporting events of any discipline present in its own statute.

Any circular issued by EPS (Sports promotion bodies) or FSN (National sports federations) that boasts a monopoly with respect to a sport is to be considered contrary to the EU rules as established in December 2017 following penalties inflicted illegitimately to athletes who participated in events not recognized by an International Organization of a precise discipline.     

For many, sport is a passion, but it can also be an economic activity. We recognize and respect the role of international sports federations, which are responsible for defining the rules of the game and ensuring good sports governance, including the health and safety of athletes and the integrity of sport. However, in the case of boxing, we will try to determine if these rules are used abusively to impose a monopoly on the organization of sporting events and to limit competition. However, it is necessary to establish whether these rules are used unfairly to impose a monopoly on the organization of sporting events and/or to limit competition.

The continuous occurrence of threats to athletes, or even the drafting of real circulars by some Federations, requires an urgent clarification necessary to establish if such rules are used improperly to impose a monopoly on the organization of sporting events and / or restrict competition.

The athletes can evolve at the highest level for only a few years and there must be good reasons to prevent them from participating in sporting events, in Italy I have been debating hard on this issue.

Therefore we will try to establish if these rules are used to impose a monopoly on the organization of sporting events or to limit competition, there are National Sporting Entities that are changing their statute and their internal rules and others that are going in judgment.

The Commission has decided to continue this investigation because it highlights specific allegations of violations of competition law at international level that go beyond the broader issues of internal governance or regulation in a sports federation.

All colleagues, trainers and athletes are invited to denounce and report unpleasant episodes in which National Sports Entities threaten disqualification or pecuniary sanctions Associations and athletes participating in sports initiatives "by them not authorized".

GUIDO CARLI  

ref.   http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5771_fr.htm

Update, October 2026

What this article argued in 2019 is now settled European law. The European Commission's decision of December 2017 in the International Skating Union case was upheld by the General Court of the European Union on 16 December 2020 (case T-93/18). The Court of Justice made it final on 21 December 2023 (case C-124/21 P).

Organising sports competitions is an economic activity. A federation cannot make events run by other organisers subject to its own authorisation, nor penalise the athletes who take part in them, without transparent criteria. Such rules work against athletes, the public and spectators. On the same day the Court ruled along the same lines on the Super League (case C-333/21).

Sources: Court of Justice of the EU, press release of 21/12/2023 · European Commission, decision of December 2017 (IP/17/5184)