Society. Announced cut in sports budget: Pass'Sport is already losing ground

Among the measures outlined by François Bayrou in his savings plan, this is undoubtedly not the one that has been the most discussed. However, the reduction in the scope of the Pass'Sport will affect many families from the start of the school year.

Established in 2021, this system is a financial boost intended to reduce the cost of registering with a sports association for the most modest families.

Until now, the measure benefited children aged 6 to 17, but it will now be restricted to adolescents aged 14 to 17. "At 14, nearly one in five secondary school students does not participate in regular sporting activities, particularly due to cost constraints. The Pass'Sport is an essential aid to overcome this obstacle. I encourage young people and parents to take advantage of it to discover or rediscover a sport of their choice," explains the Minister of Sports, Marie Barsacq . At the same time, the government announced the revaluation of this aid, which will increase from 50 to 70 euros.

In addition to the age criteria, the Pass'Sport is intended for families receiving the back-to-school allowance (ARS). Young people with disabilities up to the age of 30 and students, scholarship holders, and recipients of annual Crous assistance under the age of 28 are also eligible. To benefit from it, you must register in a club affiliated with sports federations approved by the Ministry of Sports, in an approved JEP (Jeunes Éducation Populaire) or Sport association, or in a walking sports leisure structure such as a climbing gym or a fitness center.

Around 3.5 million young people have benefited from this Pass'Sport since its launch , and more than one in five eligible children used it in 2023. However, the budget allocated to this scheme continues to decrease: from €100 million at its inception, it is now expected to peak at €40 million.

Some 130 elected officials sent a letter to the Head of State and the Prime Minister on July 11th to protest this cut. They expressed "deep disapproval of this measure, which is deadly for access to sport," and referred to a "state abandonment of an effective sports policy."

These announcements have not failed to provoke a reaction from sports federations. The French Football Federation (FFF) announced that "of the 977,000 licensed players under the age of 14 that the FFF has, 375,000 of them benefited from the Pass'Sport until today." "From the start of the next school year, they will be excluded from the system," regrets the 3 F in a press release . "This is in line with the educational and social function of sport, which must be able to accommodate the greatest number of children without discrimination, particularly financial discrimination," it adds. The same sentiment is shared by the French Basketball Federation (FFB), which reports a figure of 126,874 young players benefiting from the system during the 2024-2025 season, compared to 36,481 for the coming season. "The FFBB, in full agreement with the CNOSF and other sports federations, considers that this measure is not part of the expected legacy of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games," the federation deplores.