Published on EACEA National Policies Platform (https://eacea.ec.europa.

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1. National strategy(ies)

2. Promoting and supporting sport and physical activity among young people

3. Physical education in schools

4. Collaboration and partnerships

National strategy(ies)

Sport XXI. National Sport Strategy

In 2007 an extensive policy document was prepared within the framework of the Sport XXI. National
Sport Strategy (Sport XXI. Nemzeti Sportstratégia [1]), which sets the short and long-term strategies of
every aspect of sport in Hungary. It regards sport as a tool for achieving the most important social
objectives:

health maintenance
upbringing
personality development
community building
social integration.

The target group of the strategy was all Hungarian citizens; however in parts concerning youth it is
suggested that in order to achieve a sporting lifestyle young people must get active. In this way, with
the development of life-leading and problem-solving skills, they can get support to deal with the
challenges of the 'accelerated world'.

The strategy was planned for the 2007-2020 period, in close cooperation with the ministry responsible
for educational policy (Köznevelésért felelős Államtitkárság [2]).

The most recent measure within the framework of the Sport XXI. programme (Sport XXI. Nemzeti
Sportstratégia [1]) involves children between 6 and 14/15 years old in regular physical training. It
provides a wide base of selection for the Heracles-programmes (Héraklész-programok [3]), which
contribute to the preparation and competition of youth between 14-23 years old in 20 branches of
sports by providing financial resources and well educated professionals.

Heracles Champion Programme

As the first element of the new recruit-training strategy, the Heracles Champion Programme
(Héraklész Bajnokprogram [4]) has begun in 2001 with 13 sports. Currently it comprises 20 Olympic
sports:

1. table tennis
2. athletics
3. wrestling
4. rowing
5. ice hockey
6. judo
7. kayak-canoe
8. Handball
9. basketball
10. boxing
11. pentathlon
12. Volleyball
13. shooting
14. weightlifting
15. tennis
16. women’s and men’s gymnastics
17. triathlon
18. swimming
19. fencing
20. water polo.

The objective of the Champion Programme is to train competitors who reach the age group’s
international standards by young adult age. This can be realized most effectively between the ages of
14 and 18 years old. To achieve this goal, the highest priority of the programme is to ensure regular,
continuous training. Accordingly, the project helps at the beginning stage of the efficient, long-term
career of the most talented 14-18-year-old sportsmen and sportswomen. It is realized mainly by
providing regular training camps and framework training, employing trainers to control the
programme full-time and to provide scientific measurements and examinations.

Tünde Szabó [5], the secretary responsible for sports, pays extra attention to the programme.
According to her statement (nyilatkozat [6]):

'the Heracles has a favourable influence on the proportion of the local, club and central training,
since it coordinates the participation of the young sportsmen in central training camps and
selected framework trainings. We can say that 74 per cent of the sportsmen participating in last
year’s Olympics in Rio and almost every sportsmen of the July Water World Championship in
Hungary was from the Heracles, but a significant part of our adult selected sportsmen also took
 part in some of the recruit-programmes.'

'Healthy Hungary 2014-2020' government programme ('Egészséges Magyarország

2014-2020' kormányprogram)

The programme defines young people as a priority target group. The willingness of youth for pursuing
in sports activities should be increased, the trainings and active lifestyle should be advanced, and
also encouraging environment for the healthy growth of the future’s generation should be developed.
The actions of the complex program for the prevention of circulatory diseases [Government Decision
No. 1234/2017. (IV 28) on the National Health Strategy’s plans for 2017-2018’s (1234/2017. (IV. 28.)
Korm. határozat [7] a Nemzeti Népegészségügyi Stratégiához kapcsolódó egészségügyi ágazati
szakpolitikai program 2017. és 2018. évre vonatkozó intézkedései I. üteméről)] also include health
promotion programmes for young people such as joyful exercise, healthy nutrition and prevention of
smoking. (We discuss it in more detail in sub-chapter 7.4 Healthy lifestyles and healthy nutrition.)

Promoting and supporting sport and physical activity among young people

Besides schools and sport clubs, numerous programmes exist to:

1. promote regular exercise

2. help children and adults to choose sports
3. integrate sports into young people’s everyday life.

The aim is to support competitive and leisure sports and the spreading of healthy lifestyles.

The 'Great Sports Selector'

The 'Great Sports Selector' (Nagy Sportágválasztó [8]) was held for the 21st time in 2017. Besides
endearing sport, it is aimed to help both children and adults choosing their suitable sport. The point of
the event is that the guests should not only watch sports shows but actively participate in them, take
the equipment in their hands, try the sport, and experience the nature and feeling of different sports.
More than 100 sports have been represented at these events in the past years.

The Challenge Day

The Challenge Day (Kihívás Napja [9]), which started in Canada in 1982, has been held in Hungary
since 1991. The event is coordinated by the Hungarian Leisure Sports Alliance [Magyar
Szabadidősport Szövetség [10] (MSZSZ)], and up until now a total of 1596 settlements have
participated in the competitions in Hungary. In 2016 the residents of the participant villages and cities
completed more than 3 million 15-minute exercises.

European Sports Week

Since 2015 Hungary also takes part in the European Week of Sport [11] (Európai Sporthét [12])
organised by the European Council (Európai Bizottság). Hungary has been an outstandingly active
participant of the project in the last two years, even by European standards. The national tasks
concerning the coordination are taken care of by the Hungarian Leisure Sports Alliance (Magyar
Szabadidősport Szövetség [10]).

Physical education in schools

With the aim of contributing to a healthier society, the Act CCIV of 2011 [13] on national public
education (2011. évi CXC. törvény [14] a nemzeti köznevelésről), insists on the importance of
organizing PE classes and other sporting programmes in schools. The aim of the five PE classes per
week, introduced by the law, is to provide everyday exercise for every child in the country.

The law states that on school days, when there is general or technical theoretical education, the
school must organize everyday physical education in the form of at least one PE class per day. A
maximum of two classes per week out of this can be replaced by educational forms determined by
the directions of the curriculum concerning physical education classes, literacy education, sport
carried out in the school sports circle. Two classes can also be replaced by exercise organized in the
framework of the sports club, by the application of the students who do competitive sports, are
certified members of sports clubs or have amateur sports contracts, who possesses the start licence
and the certification of their sports club, valid for the school year. (Act CCIV of 2011 [13] on national
public education)

Collaboration and partnerships

Many schools sign a cooperative agreement with different clubs. These are local initiatives, usually
realized with the help of local governments.

Annual development framework

The call of the Hungarian Government to civil organisations, churches and consortiums of financial
organs, based on the annual development framework stated in the Government Decision no.
1037/2016. (II.9) [1037/2016. (II.9.) számú Kormányhatározat [15]], is in the interest of

strengthening personal and collective responsibility

development of citizens’ health consciousness
maintenance of mental and physical health
social development
realization of youth and sports programmes
strengthening cultural cooperation
improvements concerning family issues.

Cooperation in the Carpathian Basin

The aim of the call 'Strengthening the thematic cooperation in the fields of youth issues, healthcare,
community development and social development with the neighbouring countries in the Carpathian
Basin' (A Tematikus együttműködés [16] erősítése az ifjúságügy, egészségügy, közösségfejlesztés és
társadalmi felzárkózás terén a Kárpát-medence szomszédos országaival) is to:
 support the development of the Carpathian Basin and the borderline’s region
to lower social inequalities by sharing good practices
strengthening cooperation and solving economic and social problems in the fields of healthcare,
sports and youth policies, culture, social development and family issues.

National Competitive Sports and Recruit-training Education Centres

Another framework for cooperation is provided by the National Competitive Sports and Recruit-
training Education Centres (Nemzeti Élsport és Utánpótlás-nevelési Képzési Központok) whose
existence is based on Government Decision no. 1868/2016. (XII. 28) [1868/2016. (XII. 28.) Korm.
határozat [17]]. These Centres form an academic system that provides an opportunity for young
sportsmen and sportswomen to train both mentally and physically under high level professional
supervision, direction and in a modern, safe infrastructural environment.

Hungarian Sports Stars’ Scholarship

To cooperate with higher education institutions the government founded the Hungarian Sports Stars’
Scholarship (Magyar Sportcsillagok Ösztöndíja [18]). Its aim is to support those sports students
studying in higher education and have outstanding results with a chance to be European Champion,
World Champion or Olympic medals during their studies. The monthly support is between 120 and
140 thousand Forints (between EUR 390 and 775). It helps sportsmen and sportswomen achieve a
higher level of education during their active competitor years. In the 2016/2017 school year,
sportsmen and parasports men from almost 20 branches of sport won the scholarship:

1. 135 the first

2. 97 in the second semester.