Youth and Sport: the political world united against cuts
Youth and Sport is the Confederation's main sports promotion program.
On this issue, it's a bit like the Federal Council versus the world. Despite its historic success, the federal sports promotion program, Jeunesse et Sport (J+S), will have to reduce its subsidies by 20% starting in 2026. The reason is that the Confederation does not want to increase its financial contribution to the program, maintaining the annual allocation at 115 million francs. J+S will therefore have to reduce the amounts paid to its supporters to meet the ever-increasing demand with this unchanged budget.
And that doesn't please many people. In just eleven days, a petition against federal austerity measures regarding the J+S program has collected nearly 150,000 signatures. Politicians also appear to be largely opposed to the Federal Council's decision. "Switzerland would be a very poor country if we couldn't invest this money in children and young people," denounced National Councilor Simon Stadler (C/UR). A former J+S instructor himself, he pledged to work "with many allies, from the left to the right" to fight this change.
The reduction in funding for the J+S program is also being denounced by French-speaking sports ministers. They sent a letter to Federal Councilor Martin Pfister on Tuesday to express their concern about this measure, even though participation in J+S activities reached a record high in 2024. This 20% reduction in subsidies "would amount to permanently weakening the Swiss community fabric, discouraging volunteer involvement, and restricting access to sport, particularly for young people in urban areas and from modest backgrounds," they write. As a result, they are calling not only for this cut to be abandoned, but also for an increase in the budget allocated to J+S. (cht)
There's no shortage of volunteers. National Councillor Andrea Zryd (SP/ZH), for example, also wants to prevent this austerity drive: "Equal opportunities would suffer. It has been proven that sport and physical activity play an important role in integration." Criticism has also been rife from the right. "I am clearly opposed to these budget cuts. The J+S program not only promotes sport, but also strengthens society," argued National Councillor Michael Götte (SVP/SG). Voices have also been raised within the FDP. It is therefore uncertain whether Parliament, which will discuss the J+S 2026 budget during its December session, will follow the Federal Council's line.
Regarding school camps - which are also subsidized - the announcement had the effect of a "small bombshell," reported the newspaper "24 heures" on Saturday. Schools may well have to dig into their pockets to compensate for the reduction in subsidies, according to Nyon municipal councilor Stéphanie Schmutz. Coaches and clubs are also finding it hard to swallow. Judoka and PLR member of the Grand Council Sergei Aschwanden also wrote to Martin Pfister to express his disagreement, according to the Vaud daily. "We need young people for the country's development. J+S is our best investment in the physical, mental, and social health of young people."
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