Evaluation of the Project for Fostering ‘Sports for All’

Published on July 4, 2024
Published by Social Administrative Program Evaluation Division, Budget Analysis Department

   In recent years, with a growing focus on health in an era of increased longevity, more people are engaging in sports activities. This trend aims to lower healthcare expenses and enhance quality of life. Concurrently, governmental sports policy is shifting from prioritizing 'elite sports' aimed at developing a select few talented individuals to fostering 'sports-for-all', which encourages accessible participation for all.
   This report evaluates the effectiveness of current government policies, support systems, financial investments, and performance related to 'sports-for-all' promotion projects. It identifies several areas for improvement based on its findings. Key analysis results include:
   In the comprehensive analysis sector, several key observations have been made. ① In addition to the scale of financial investment related to the 'sports-for-all' development project, there are aspects of performance such as participation rate in sports and sports facility user satisfaction that vary depending on external factors or the period of financial investment, so continuous monitoring of this is necessary. ② The indicators for 'regular participation rates in physical activities' show relatively active levels, despite challenges such as the slow recovery post-COVID pandemic and recent economic downturns. For 'sports for the disabled', it is crucial to establish diverse performance indicators that account for different types and degrees of disability. ③ Over the past five years, an analysis of the National Sports Promotion Fund's revenue and expenditure scales reveals that the revenue scale has been relatively excessive. Additionally, it has been noted that a portion of the funds from the National Sports Promotion Fund are annually transferred to the Culture and Arts Promotion Fund, which also falls under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
   Secondly, in the domain of daily sports operations, ① The 'Sports Course Voucher Project' aims to use underutilized public sports facilities by incentivizing additional course offerings. Given that current sports course programs are concentrated on specific sports, there is a need to establish a more diverse program. ② The decline in elementary school sports instructors may negatively impact the diversity of school physical education programs, thus it is crucial to analyze the causes of this decline and implement strategies to address it. There is a pressing need to integrate and organically implement the 'Exciting Weekend Sports Program' with projects from other ministries. Additionally, it is crucial to conduct a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of in-school versus out-of-school weekend sports programs, and this analysis should also include considerations on expanding diverse sports facilities within schools over the medium to long term. ③ The quota for youth sports instructors is currently very limited (1.0% of the total as of 2023). There is a clear need to expand this quota further. When assigning quotas for sports instructors, factors such as the participation rates in 'sports-for-all', deployment rates of sports instructors by region, and the local sports environment must be taken into account. ④ The evaluation of the 'Sports Club Development' project under the 'Extension Evaluation of National Subsidy Project' has shown insufficient review of the beneficiaries' burden. It is crucial to identify and designate 'designated sports clubs' from a diverse range of sports clubs, while actively supporting less popular sports, necessitating a comprehensive review and enhancement of these projects.
   Thirdly, in the 'sports-for-all' facilities sector, ① Some public sports facilities face significant renovation costs due to rapid deterioration, safety concerns, and the requirement to install facilities for the disabled. However, current laws do not adequately address these challenges. Therefore, it is imperative for each local government to adjust public sports facility usage fees realistically to cover the shortfall in renovation costs. ② During the implementation of the 'National Sports Center Construction Support' project, it is crucial to provide differential support funds that consider the fiscal conditions of each region. Additionally, the pace of project execution should be adjusted based on the local government's capacity to secure local funds and other relevant factors.
   Fourthly, in the realm of sports for the disabled, ① It is essential to distinguish the 'Sports Course Voucher Support for the Disabled' project from the sports class pass project for the non-disabled. This differentiation should be reviewed within the framework of the Sports for the Disabled Development Project. Streamlining access procedures for these classes and conducting a comprehensive analysis to optimize course utilization and accommodate the unique characteristics of sports activities for the disabled are essential to improve utilization rates. ② The 'Physical Fitness Certification System for the Disabled' is a nationwide physical fitness system that requires an interconnection between rehabilitation treatment and recreational sport for the disabled, development of physical fitness measurement items and various exercise programs for the disabled, improvement of difficulties in the mobile disabled physical fitness certification system, and establishing of a nationwide physical fitness certification service by linking with each local health and medical institution. ③ Regarding the National Sports Training Center for the Disabled (Bandabi Sports Center), continuous support for construction is essential, including analyzing reasons for decreased construction competition. Local governments should enact necessary ordinances for the center's operation. Post-construction, it's crucial to maintain operational methods prioritizing the disabled and strategically locate centers based on regional disability demographics.