The specter of an “inflation lockdown” is haunting: there are widespread closures of sports halls and a massive thinning of the domestic sports offer due to the explosion in energy costs: “Many clubs that previously spent about 20,000 euros per year on energy are now now suddenly faced with costs of about 60,000 or 70,000 euros – they just can’t afford that,” said Hans Niessl, president of the federal sports organization “Sport Austria”, in a krone.tv interview with Gerhard Koller.
Therefore, many clubs are now on the verge of drastically reducing or abandoning their sports offerings. For example, tennis halls or clubs with floodlights would be hit: “We have about 15,000 sports clubs in Austria – about half of them also operate buildings. And then energy costs skyrocket.” The clubs have no financial reserves, as they have not been focused on making a profit in the past. On the other hand, it is not possible to pass on the higher costs to the members of the association, as most people cannot afford this.
“The federal government must provide concrete financial aid very quickly, otherwise the operation of indoor swimming pools or tennis courts will be seriously endangered,” says Niessl, who, based on an investigation, is said to have provided evidence that domestic sports clubs are paying additional costs of 181 million. as a result of the price increase that euros have arisen. Negotiations are currently underway with Sports Minister Werner Kogler to enable aid for the clubs – otherwise there will be drastic consequences, including for public health.
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Source: Krone
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