International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics

ISSN: 1940-6940 (Print) 1940-6959 (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/risp20

Sport policy in Chile

Gonzalo Bravo & Jorge Silva

To cite this article: Gonzalo Bravo & Jorge Silva (2014) Sport policy in Chile, International
Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 6:1, 129-142, DOI: 10.1080/19406940.2013.806341
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2013.806341

Published online: 14 Jun 2013.

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International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 2014
Vol. 6, No. 1, 129–142, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2013.806341

COUNTRY PROFILE
Sport policy in Chile
Gonzalo Bravoa* and Jorge Silvab
a
Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;
b
División de Actividad de Actividad Física y Deportes, Instituto Nacional de Deportes de Chile,
Santiago, Chile

This article provides an overview of the government involvement in sport in Chile

through the role of the public bureaucracies and how key legislations have shaped the
state of sport in this country. It also examines the structure, funding and key strategic
initiatives of the current public sport administration. Today, the public office of sport is
well equipped with a solid organizational structure and a clear direction of the goals and
objectives it must pursue. Nevertheless, a key challenge faced by the public sport
bureaucracy is to create more effective strategies to engage the private sector in the
development of sport. The article ends with a reflection of some of the issues affecting the
growth of sport in Chile and the challenges facing the future.
Keywords: sport policy; Chile; National Institute of Sport

In Chile, every now and then, at the end of an international sporting event, the role of sport
becomes a topic of heated discussions for many interested parties. Among those who express
their points of view are members of the press, leaders of national governing bodies (NGBs),
government officials, members of the Chilean Olympic Committee as well as the general
public. For the most part, these discussions focus on issues such as the lack of funding, the
absence of a national policy on sport, the minimal support given to athletes while attending
college and the lack of corporate sponsors for amateur sports. Although these discussions do
not bring much change to the system they do give voice to the frustrations of athletes,
officials and other stakeholders with regard to the multiple challenges they face to compete
internationally as well as to foster grassroots sport at home. Perhaps, more importantly, these
public forums serve to influence other more serious debates regarding sport policies and
government involvement in sport.
Over the last decades, Chile’s economic growth has increased at a faster pace than most
advanced economies (Schwellnus 2010). In addition, in terms of global competitiveness,
Chile ranks 31st among 142 nations (Schwab 2011), which puts Chile first among Latin
American countries and above many European countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech
Republic, Hungary and Russia – all economic indicators that make Chile a safe and attractive
place for foreign investment (Rittorno 2012). Moreover, Chile’s human development index’s
(HDI) scores made it not only qualify for the group labelled as very high human development
nations, but also receive the highest HDI among the Latin American countries, and the only
one, along with Argentina, that qualifies in that group (UNDP 2011). While several studies

*Corresponding author. Email: gonzalo.bravo@mail.wvu.edu

# 2013 Taylor & Francis

130 G. Bravo and J. Silva

have found that a country’s economic indicators (e.g., size, GDP, etc.) significantly con-
tribute an explanation of a country’s sporting success (Bernard and Busse 2004, Moosa and
Smith 2004, Rathke and Woitek 2007), in Chile, this relationship did not always occur in that
way. For years, the Chilean sport system has strived to achieve similar levels of success as it
has reached in other areas of life.1 While, undoubtedly, some progress has been made, there
is still a perceived gap between general national progress and development and stagnation in
sport. Nevertheless, this paradox has contributed to prompting a more intense debate about
sport, more specifically about the role of government in its development. As a result,
politicians, sport administrators and government officials have been urged not only to find
more effective solutions to problems related to sport, but also to define their vision of the
type of sport policy Chile needs.
The next section presents an overview of how sport polices have been developed in
Chile. A brief historical description of government involvement in sport through the role of
public bureaucracies and how key legislation has shaped the pattern of sport is presented. It
is followed by an examination of the structure, funding and key strategic initiatives of the
current public sport administration. The article ends with a reflection of some the issues
affecting the growth of sport in Chile and the challenges facing the future.

Government involvement in sport

The introduction of modern sports in Chile dates back to the 1850s in the city port of
Valparaíso through the European immigrants mostly of British background. Following the
customs of the British aristocracy, sport enthusiasts participated in cricket, horseback
hunting and horse racing. The first organized clubs were the Valparaíso Cricket Club,
founded in 1860 and the Valparaíso Paperchase Club, founded in 1870. Football, while
being informally played since the 1850s, was not organized until 1892 following the
foundation of the Valparaíso Football Club (Modiano 1997). These organizations were
not only fully private, but also limited in their membership to those who were part of the
British community, direct descendants, or expatriates who just happened to return back to
Chile from England.
The first governmental initiative related to sport dates back to the early 1900s with the
creation of the Institute of Physical Education at the University of Chile, the first of its kind
in Latin America (Muñoz 2001, Lara 2006). For the most part of the twentieth century,
governmental involvement in sport had two distinguishing characteristics: First, its close
relationship with physical education; and second, a historical association with the military.
Until the 1940s, public offices in charge of sport all included titles such as council,
department or directorate of physical education. Thus, the public role with regard to sport
was essentially focused on the promotion and subsidy of physical education, health promo-
tion and the infusion of moral values. As noted by Marin (2007), sport was seen as a part of
the social welfare that ‘contributed to enhance[ing] the quality of the Chilean race’ (p. 69). It
was not until the 1950s that governmental initiatives began to shift away from physical
education, mass sport participation and the school of citizenship approach, to focus more on
a sport system that valued competitive and professional sports. Thus, matters specifically
related to physical education began to move, from being under the jurisdiction of the
Directorate of State Sports to being housed within the remit of the Ministry of Education
(Bravo et al. 2013).
The linkage between sport with the military can not only be explained from a historic
perspective, but also because the Ministry of Defence was perceived to be an apolitical
cabinet (Muñoz 2001). During the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, sport was seen as a vehicle for
 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 131

readiness for war, particularly in the aftermath of World War I and World War II. Hence, the
value of physical activity was seen as contributing to enhanced fitness and also to the
education of the population in civic values. This perception of the function of sport was
demonstrated in 1931 when President Carlos Ibañez del Campo (an Army officer) signed a
decree that placed the High Council of Physical Education under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of War. This decree established, for the long term, the location of the sport public
bureaucracy within the machinery of government (Muñoz 2001). The linkage between sport
and the military ended only in 2001 with the passage of Law 19712. This law changed the
location and accountability of the sport office DIGEDER (General Directorate Sport and
Recreation) from the sub-secretariat of War in the Ministry of National Defence to the
Ministry General Secretariat of Government.2

Landmark sport legislations

In Chile, normative provisions about sport are evident in three dimensions: constitutional,
legal and regulatory (Colina 2009). The Chilean constitution is indirectly involved in sport
as it grants people the right to freely organize themselves by respecting the autonomy of
these organizations. This aspect has been a key to bringing order to the sport system in Chile.
It provides sport organizations not only with the right of functioning, but also the mechanism
to operate in alignment with the Chilean laws. In the case of the legal dimension, sport laws
act in more specific terms. For example, the current sport law clearly establishes the role of
the state in promoting and facilitating the access to sport for the people in Chile. To
accomplish this, the law provides a definition of what sport is, which includes functions
related to: physical activity, physical education, mass sport, social integration, community
development, health promotion, spectator entertainment and achievement in high-
performance sport (Ley del Deporte 2001). Finally, the regulatory dimension is represented
by rules that provide more specific details of existing decrees or laws. In many instances,
these rules originate in a cabinet other than the one directly related to sport.
From 1906 to 1970, most legal texts in the forms of laws, decrees or rules were aimed to
provide the legal structure to the public sport bureaucracy or to upgrade the state of physical
education. Today, the Library of Congress of Chile contains more than 800 legal documents
that include the term sport. However, only a handful of these items of legislation were
intended to have a significant impact on the sport system (see Table 1). Two of the most
overarching pieces of legislation include Law 17276, from 1970, also referred to as
Promotion of Sport, and Law 19712, from 2001, also known as Sport Law. An additional
law, passed in 1975, related to the regulation of the Lottery and greatly contributed with the
growth of sport. For years, it was the main source of public funding for sport. While these
laws represent important efforts to strengthen the sport system in Chile, they have been
insufficient to satisfy the growing demand of professional sports, particularly football. Thus,
since the mid-2000s, three other items of legislation were signed that focused on this area of
sport. Law 20019, from 2005, dealt with the transformation of football clubs into Public
Limited Sport Companies; Law 20178, from 2007, established rules for labour relationships
involving professional athletes; and Law 20620, from September of 2012 established
preventive norms and penalties for violence that occurred in football stadiums. The next
section provides a brief overview of each of these laws.
Law 17276 from 1970, also known as the law for the Promotion of Sport, established the
foundational pillars not only for the way sport was organized, but also defined the scope of
intervention. Among the functions specified in the law were: (a) the promotion of sporting
activities at both amateur and professional levels; (b) the subsidy to and accountability of
132 G. Bravo and J. Silva

Table 1. Selected legal texts related to sport in Chile (1923–2012).

Year Legal text Establish/Approve/Recognize
1923 Decree 899 Sporting activities subsidy through a Commission of Physical Education
l
Decree 1547 National Commission of Physical Education
l
l National Confederation of Sports – subsidy and has jurisdiction over
NGBs
1925 Decree 525 l High Council of Physical Education and Morality
1927 Decree 46 l Change to General Directorate of Physical Education and Morality
1929 Decree Law 6352 l Physical Education (Law) – Autonomy of NGBs
1930 Decree Law 350 l High Council of Physical Education in the Ministry of War
1939 Decree 4157 l Office of the Defense of the Race and Use of Leisure Time
1940 Decree 1600 l National Council of Sports as the governing body for NGBs, sport
associations, and private clubs
1942 Decree 35/6331 l Department of Sports – Directorate of Information and Culture in the
Ministry of Interior
1948 Decree 761 l Department of Sports – Sub secretariat of War in the Ministry of Defense
1960 Decree Law 336 l Changed to Directorate of State Sports
1970 Law 17276 l Promotion of Sport
l Change to General Directorate for Sports and Recreation (DIGEDER)
1975 Decree Law 1298 l Sport Lottery - assigns 45% of the revenue to DIGEDER
1994 Law 19327 l Norms for prevention and penalties for violence in football stadiums
2001 Law 19217 l Sport Law
l National Institute of Sport – Ministry General Secretariat of Government
2005 Law 20019 l Public limited sport companies for professional football clubs
2005 Decree 42 l Financial awards to high performance athletes
2007 Law 20178 l Labor relationship rule for professional athletes
2012 Law 20620 l Modify Law 19327 of 1994
2012 Decree 29 l New rules for Decree 42 – financial awards to athletes

Source: Muñoz (2001), Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (2012).

sporting organizations that benefit from receiving public resources; (c) the promotion and
implementation of recreation programmes; (d) the promotion and implementation of coach-
ing education programmes; and (e) the administration of public sport facilities. While in
1970 this law represented the most comprehensive legal document ever written about sport,
it was also criticized. A press article published prior to its passage stated: ‘it aims to do too
much without sufficient resources’ (Revista Estadio cited in Muñoz 2001, p. 97). Perhaps the
distinguishing element of this law was the language used in many of its articles, which
suggested that the role of DIGEDER was primarily to be an implementer as opposed to being
a facilitator. Nevertheless, and despite the ideological differences between successive
administrations during the life of this law (1970–2000), the notion that DIGEDER should
be directly responsible for implementing and carrying out all these tasks became a pattern of
functioning to all four governments that administered this law.
In 1975, during the military government of Augusto Pinochet, Decree Law 1298 was
enacted to provide additional financial resources for sport. This legislation, known as Polla
Gol, established a system that allowed people to bet on the results of the weekly games
played in the professional football tournament. This idea was not novel as it had already been
successfully implemented in several countries around the world. This initiative, along with a
few others implemented throughout the 1980s and 1990s, introduced a significant amount of
money into the sport system – not just to professional football. However, as time went by, the
total revenue allocated to sport started to shrink. In 1989, funding coming from the different
types of sport lotteries represented 80% of the public budget allocated to sport but, by 1993,
 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 133

the proportion had fallen to 39% (Bravo 1996). While the introduction of the lotteries was
important, the variability in the income they generated did not bring financial stability to
professional football. Consequently, during the 1980s, many clubs went into bankruptcy or
operated on the financial border line. As noted by Bravo, ‘the influx of easy money through
the sport lottery in fact did not contribute to develop a culture of responsible management
within the clubs’ (2012, p. 39). Most clubs not only spent more than they possessed, but also
spent more than their most optimistic projections of future income.
Despite some advances during three different administrations, particularly in the areas of
mass sport and infrastructure,3 by the end of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, many
parties agreed that the current body of law was insufficient to provide the boost the sport
sector needed in Chile. As a result, during the government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
(1994–2000), a Presidential Advisory Council was appointed with the task of evaluating not
only the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that characterized the sport system in
Chile, but also to provide a proposal for new legislation for sport (Bravo 1996). In
January of 1995, the Presidential Advisory Council delivered to the president a comprehen-
sive 900-page report and a set of recommendations for a new body of law. The deliberative
process inside and outside of Congress lasted six years, and in January of 2001, Law 19172 –
known as the Sport Law – was passed. Among the distinctive features of this law were: (a) it
defined four categories of sports for programmes of action: sporting education, recreational
sports, competitive sports and high performance sport with international focus4; (b) it
created a competitive grant for projects related to sport; (c) it authorized tax deductions for
donations for sport projects; (d) it set up regional offices in each of the 15 regions of the
country; (e) it ended the institutional subordination to the Ministry of Defence as functional
responsibility was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry General Secretariat of
Government; and (f) it elevated the rank of the Director to that of Sub-secretary. It also
established the philosophical principles upon which the National Sport Policy should be
built.5
When compared to previous laws, Law 19712 established conditions to create stronger
relations between the public sector and the interested parties, particularly by stimulating the
involvement of sport organizations through a competitive grant fund, by providing subsidy
to infrastructure projects via a match funding system, by allowing tax deductions on
donations towards sport projects, and by granting existing public infrastructure in commo-
datum6 to private organizations. As previously noted, this law defined four areas of action
and not only established a distinction between the different levels of participation, but also
addressed the need to attend to all four levels of participation. In this regard, and while this
law also authorized the National Institute of Sport (IND) to fund any project in these four
levels of participation, decree 46 established that funding priority must be given to the
development of sport in the school system (Decreto 46 2001, article 19).
Several studies have noted that one of the key challenges to develop the sport system in
Chile has been the lack of professionalism of its managerial structures (DIGEDER 1987,
Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile 2001, Muñoz 2001, Rios and Kennet 2008,
Pumarino 2009). In this regard, the passage of Law 20019 of 2005 was intended to alleviate
this problem, particularly in the context of professional football clubs. This law required
football clubs to become Public Limited Sport Companies and thus become legally accoun-
table when financial mismanagement occurred. It was not intended solely as a punitive
mechanism but, on the contrary, it was intended to boost the football industry by enabling
these clubs to raise investment from the stock market (Bravo 2012). Similarly, Law 20178
from 2007, which governs labour relations for professional athletes, establishes norms and
responsibilities for football clubs with regard to players’ employments. This law addresses a
134 G. Bravo and J. Silva

wide array of issues regarding the working conditions of players including: payment of
salaries, bonuses and prizes; social security; working hours; and vacation days. Also, it
establishes penalties for clubs that do not comply with these obligations. This law replaced
an old law that dated from 1970 (DFL 1 1970). The current law not only covers issues not
addressed in the 1970 legislation, but also it re-examines and updates labour relations in
professional football in the context of today’s industry standards. Hence, considering the
peculiarities of the job of professional footballers, Law 20178 represents a fair attempt to
comply not only with Chilean labour laws, but also with those norms and statutes of football
as mandated by FIFA and the Chilean Football Association (Misraji and Recabarren 2009).
Finally, Law 20620 from 2012 establishes norms and penalties for acts of violence in the
football stadiums. This law replaced an existing law from 1994 that addressed similar issues.
The new text established responsibilities and penalties not only in relation to those directly
involved in the act of vandalism, but it also put responsibility on those clubs participating in
the match at which acts of violence occurred. Establishing legislation on matters related to
football, particularly professional football, is critical in a country like Chile in which football
is the preferred sport for those who watch on television as well as those who practice it as a
recreational activity.7

The National Institute of Sport in Chile

As previously noted, Law 19712 of 2001 created the Instituto Nacional de Deportes (IND)
(National Institute of Sport), also known as Chiledeportes, a subsecretary of state in charge
of sport. While this public office does not possess the rank of a Ministry, the current status
represents an upgrade from its former level of a Directorate (during the time it was
DIGEDER). The IND headquarters are located in the capital city of Santiago, but the
Institute also has representation in the 15 regions of the country. In alignment with the
policy of decentralization, each regional institute of sport is responsible for developing its
own plan based on its needs and works in direct collaboration with the municipalities in its
region.
The IND is headed by a National Director, who is appointed by the president of the
Republic and reports to the Minister Secretary of Government. The National Director also
chairs the National Council, which, according to the sport law, is the unit responsible for
developing national policy on sport, proposing new legislation regarding sport, and approv-
ing the annual budget of the IND. In addition to the National Director, the National Council
includes 11 members who represent different groups of stakeholders (e.g., higher education
institutions, business associations, trade unions, etc.). These members are all nominated by
the president of the Republic with the exception of two representatives from the sport
federations who are nominated by the national governing bodies affiliated with the
Chilean Olympic Committee.
The fundamental pillar of the IND’s mission is to develop sport culture among the
Chilean population. The IND aims to accomplish its mission through the development of
sport infrastructure and by the provision of funding to sport projects that support both casual
participants and advanced athletes. Its ultimate goal is to educate and spread the benefits of
physical activity and sport to increase the number of participants (IND 2012). To accomplish
its mission, the IND is organized into three divisions: (1) Physical Activity and Sport (PAS);
(2) Development (DE), and (3) Administration and Finance (AF). Below these divisions are
a series of different departments including: Mass Sport, High-Performance Sport, Sport
Organizations and Research and Development, all in the division of PAS; the department of
Planning, Project Evaluation and Investments are part of the division of DE; and the
 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 135

National Council National Director

Division of Division of Division of

Physical Activity and Sport Development Administration and Finance
Government
(PAS) (DE) (AF)

Department of High Performance Department of Finance, Budget and

Sports Department of Planning Accounting
Department of Mass Sports Department of Project Department of Human Resources
Department of Sport Organizations Evaluation Department of Information Technology
Department of Research and Department of Investments Department of Supply Chain Management
Development Administration of Sport Facilities

Regional Institutes of Sport

(15)

Figure 1. National Institute of Sport of Chile.

department of Finance, Budget and Accounting, Human Resources, Information

Technology, Supply Chain Management and Administration of Sport Facilities are all part
of the division of AF (see Figure 1).

The division of Physical Activity and Sport

The division of Physical Activity and Sport (PAS) is directly involved in the implementation
of plans and programmes pertaining to the four categories of sport as stated in the Law (Ley
del Deporte 2001). Thus, sporting education, recreational sport and competitive sport fall
under the Department of Mass Sport, while high-performance sport is under the department
of the same name. Two other departments in the division of PAS, Sport Organizations and
Research and Design provide support to all four categories of sports. The division of DE is in
charge of infrastructure projects as well as the administration of the National Sport Fund and
donations received through the private sector. Finally, the division of AF deals with matters
related to budget and finance (IND 2012).
Although the three divisions of the IND are of equal relevance in contributing to the
mission of the Institute, the division of PAS is the one that deals most closely with the sport
participation. Considering the wide spectrum of goals to be attained and the many target
groups that must be served, each department within the division of PAS is also subdivided
into units that focus on specific issues to satisfy given target groups.
The Department of Mass Sport includes two units: recreational and competitive. The
recreational unit focuses on programmes that promote active participation as a vehicle for
social interaction. These programmes aim to reach and satisfy the needs of different groups
including children, adults and senior citizens who participate in a range of activities offered
all over the country. Examples of these programmes include physical activity for senior
citizens, recreational activities for children of working mothers, hiking and outdoor pro-
grammes for the family and beach football for the youth. On the other hand, the goal of the
competitive unit is to establish a calendar of athletic competitions for the school-age
participants from middle and high schools and, to a lesser extent, for colleges. These athletic
competitions are organized throughout the country in sports that have been selected to offer
136 G. Bravo and J. Silva

the potential to produce high-performance athletes in strategically important sports (IND

2012).
The Department of High Performance includes five units: Olympic; athlete support;
sport potential; NGB development; and NGB support. These five units work closely with
athletes, NGBs, the Chilean Olympic Committee and other critical stakeholders to provide
support to athletes with the potential to win medals and titles at the international level.
The Department of Sport Organizations and its subordinate unit support and supervise
the plans proposed by each NGBs. The Department of Research and Design, which contains
the units of science and innovation, training, management and control, and public and
private sector coordination, provides support and training aimed to improve the effective-
ness of sport organizations.
For the 2010–2014 period, the division of PAS has set three main strategic objectives: (1)
increase the number of people that benefit with the IND programmes, (2) improve the high-
performance sport system, and (3) establish a national system of tournaments and competi-
tions to identify medal prospects and talents. While the first objective involves a coordinated
effort of all departments and units within the division of PAS, this is mostly the responsibility
of the recreational and competitive units in the Department of Mass Sport. In relation to this
objective, the IND aims to double, by 2014, the numbers of beneficiaries in all of the
programmes offered. Thus, the women and sport programme, administered in 260 munici-
palities in 2010, increased to 340 municipalities in 2012 representing 98% coverage of
municipalities in Chile (IND 2012).
The second objective is addressed through a joint effort of the five units within the
Department of High Performance. These efforts involve the development of different
strategies including the Olympic plan. This plan aims to establish a working and collabora-
tive alliance with the Chilean Olympic Committee and ADO Chile8 to create synergy and
improve channels of communication with and between these stakeholders. A second
strategy with goals related to high performance sporting success involves the adoption of
the head coach-CEO model. Thus, a head coach for a national team is not only responsible to
train a group of athletes, but also oversees the entire work within a given NGB. An additional
strategy is the PRODAR programme. This is a monthly stipend given to athletes to help
defray the costs of training. These stipends are given to a select group of athletes who have
reached a minimum standard of athletic performance. All these strategies aim to improve
efforts to maximize effectiveness in the achievement of high-performance results (IND
2012).
Finally, the third objective of the division of PAS is carried on by the competitive unit of
the Department of Mass Sport. As previously discussed, this involves the provision of a
system of national athletic competitions aimed at detecting sport talents.

Sport funding
In Chile, public funding allocated to sport comes mostly from the national budget. As
previously noted, in the past, several types of lotteries were the main funding source for
sport in Chile. However, that is no longer the case. In 2012, the budget for the IND totalled
USD 194 million (Ministerio de Hacienda 2011). Of this amount, USD 25 million was
transferred from the lotteries, an amount that represented a mere 12.8% of the revenue
budget approved for that year. Thus, the largest portion of the IND income budget comes
through the national budget which, in 2012, was USD 161 million. In terms of specific
funding allocated to sport programmes, the IND assigned USD 63 million to the division of
Physical Activity and Sport (32.8%). Of this amount, high-performance programmes
 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 137

Table 2. Budget allocation of the division of Physical Activity and Sport (2012).
Item USD %
High-performance sport 33,424,004 17.2
Competitive sport (schools) 11,964,454 6.2
Recreational sports 18,389,309 9.5
Sub-total division PAS 63,777,768 32.8
Total budget 2012 194,236,179 100
Source: Ministerio de Hacienda (2011).

Table 3. Budget allocation to high-performance sport (2012).

Item USD %
Athletes subsidy 8,836,705 26.4
National governing bodies 10,555,349 31.6
Amateur Football Association 4,319,031 12.9
Regional training centres 3,058,616 9.2
High-performance Centre 2,110,183 6.3
Olympic plan 715,903 2.1
Tour of Chile (cycling) 842,105 2.5
Chilean Olympic Committee 421,505 1.3
Office for the South American Games 865,288 2.6
Other expenses 1,699,315 5.08
Total 33,424,004 100
Source: Ministerio de Hacienda (2011).
Note: Amounts in thousands of US dollars converted from Chilean pesos (Banco Central de Chile 2012).

received USD 33 million, competitive sports (interscholastic programmes) close to USD 12

million (6.2%), and recreational sports USD 18 million (9.5%) (see Table 2). In terms of
funding for the high-performance sports, funding for national governing bodies and the
athlete subsidy accounted for 58% of the total amount in this area. The remaining 42% was
distributed between the Amateur Football Association (ANFA), the regional training cen-
tres, the high-performance centre in Santiago, the Olympic plan, the Chilean Olympic
Committee and other events and projects (see Table 3).
As the country prepares to host major regional sporting events (e.g. the South American
Games ODESUR in 2014), it is expected that the annual budget will grow accordingly,
particularly in the areas of infrastructure and athlete support. Nevertheless, when compared
to other neighbouring countries, Chile still falls behind in terms of funding for the high-
performance sport.9 Moreover, in Chile, the public spending on sport is still marginal as it
represents only a mere 0.4% of the total national budget for the country (IND 2012).

Other strategic initiatives

Over the last decade, public efforts to boost sport have sought to have an impact on two main
fronts: increase mass participation and improve the overall state of the high-performance
sport. To attain these goals, the IND has accordingly developed an organizational structure
and implemented an array of programmes. In alignment with these strategies, the current
administration has taken these efforts one step further by being involved in three additional
key initiatives: collaboration with the Ministry of Education in setting up a national test to
138 G. Bravo and J. Silva

measure the children’s fitness level; investment in infrastructure; and a strategy to bid for and
host major regional multisporting events.
As previously noted, today the jurisdiction of physical education falls within the scope of
the Ministry of Education. Nevertheless, the current sport law states the need for the
curriculum of physical education taught at schools to include objectives concerned with
the development of sport (Ley del Deporte 2001, p. 7). Considering the intersection that
exists between physical education, sporting education and the further development of habits
for an active life, the current sport law establishes the need to implement a fitness test to
assess all children attending 8th grade at school. In 2010, results of this test known as SIMCE
Educación Física (System of Information and Measurement of Quality in Education)
showed that only 9.2% of the children tested had an acceptable fitness condition
(Ministerio de Educación Chile 2010). Although the SIMCE-PE is carried out entirely by
the Ministry of Education, the impact of its results affects not only future changes within the
physical education curriculum, but also further policies regarding sport infrastructure and the
provision of sporting opportunities outside the school.
In terms of infrastructure, two major initiatives have been put in place by the current
administration: Chileestadios (Stadiums for Chile) and Chileentrena (Chile works out). The
Chileestadios programme represents the single largest investment for a football infrastruc-
ture in Chile. It involves the renovation and expansion of seven stadiums that host games of
the Chilean national championship. Work in these stadiums involves reaching the standards
mandated by FIFA, so future international championships can be organized in Chile. In
addition, the government has set up a public fund to refurnish up to 150 other football fields
used by amateur football leagues all over the country. The total investment of the
Chileestadios programme is USD 170 million, with USD 95 million invested in stadiums
that host professional football, and USD 75 million in facilities used in amateur football
(IND 2011). Similarly, the Chileentrena programme aims to equip 30 multisport centres
located throughout the country. Access and use of these facilities is intended to serve the
needs not only of elite athletes, but also of the community. The total cost of this programme
surpasses USD 100 million, with funding provided by the IND (through the National Sport
Fund), regional governments, municipalities and, in some cases, from the private sector
through partnership with local municipalities (IND 2011).
Chile’s role in organizing major sporting events has had a chequered history. Despite
being the host country of the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the organizer of several world
championship in sports like basketball (1953, 1959), skiing (1966), FIFA World Cup Youth
Championship in 1987, IAAF World Junior Championship in 2000 and the U-20 FIFA
Women World Cup in 2008, the country has not organized a regional multisport event since
1986 when it hosted the third edition of the South American Games. Moreover, on two
occasions, Chile declined to organize the Pan American Games after being selected to host
the games in 1975 and 1987. Recognizing the importance of being a host country, the current
administration has committed to organize the South American Games in Santiago in 2014.
While these games are perceived to offer a lower level of athletic challenge when compared
to the Pan American Games, the governing body ODESUR has recently introduced reg-
ulatory changes to make these games not only more spectator-friendly, but also to increase
the standards of athletic competition. Today, the scope of the South American Games
involves the participation of 4000 athletes representing 15 countries, competing in 33 sports,
during 12 days. This represents a major growth from the early editions of these games which
attracted only a few nations and a few hundred participants. Nevertheless, for a country like
Chile, the South American Games represent not only a test of its true organizational
capabilities, but also provide the justification to keep investing in high-performance sport.
 International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics 139

Following a similar rationale, in January of 2013 the government of Chile and the Chilean
Olympic Committee formally presented Santiago as a biding city for the 2019 Pan American
Games.

Conclusions and future challenges

Sport in Chile has been an element of public policy since the early 1900s. However, it was
not until the 1990s that the government showed a more direct interest towards matters related
to high performance and professional sport. When examining the different sport policies
enacted in Chile, it is possible to identify at least six distinct periods: first, the adoption and
spread of physical education (1900–1930); second, sport as a vehicle to educate moral and
civic values (1930–1948); third, the need to organize the public sport office (1948–1970);
fourth, the sport promotion law (1970–1994); fifth, the impact of the sport law (from 2001);
and sixth, the need to legislate to control and support professional sports (since 2005).
Today, the public is well equipped not only with a solid organizational structure for sport
but also with a clear compass that guides the goals and objectives it must pursue. In this
regard, and despite the sentiment at times that sport in Chile lacks a national policy, the
current legislation has greatly contributed to the clarification of the areas of sport that need
attention. Thus, it is possible to argue that since the enactment of Law 19712 of 2001
successive administrations have developed a range of programmes that, to a greater or lesser
extent, have addressed issues arising in the four areas of sport specified in the law. In this
regard, the real challenge for future administrators is to comply not only with the require-
ments of the law, but also with analysing which area of sport needs more support. Achieving
a fair balance between the mass sport and high performance is a task that is, and probably
will be, a work in progress not only in Chile but in most countries around the world (Green
2005). Hence, some of the questions that public sport administrators face in Chile are no
different from those faced by their counterparts in other countries. Questions such as, would
Chile sacrifice resources allocated to recreational sports to allocate them to high-
performance sport? How much should the public budget for sport grow, particularly, in a
country where education and public health not only still demand attention but, perhaps also
deserve priority from the Chilean state? Thus, a critical question to be answered by public
officials is not whether sport is important, but how important sport is in the context of the
needs of a country that has not reached full development yet.
Arguably, the challenges faced by many public sector officials is not what they have to
do, but more on how to attract and establish more strategic partnerships to achieve some of
these goals. Considering that over the last few years, public strategies concerning Chilean
sport have shown a clear orientation towards the development of high-performance sport,
there is a need to find mechanisms to involve the private sector (corporate and non-
corporate) to provide additional finance to support the ambitious goals related to the high-
performance sport. In this regard, domestic and international experiences (e.g., Chilean
Football Television Network or Canal del Fúfbol in Chile, and the Brazilian Volleyball
Confederation in Brazil) have shown that such a strategy is not only possible, but is also an
action that is worth pursuing (Desormeaux and Rodríguez 2012, Bravo 2013). In this regard,
the government must keep working in close relationship with NGBs, the Chilean Olympic
Committee, and other stakeholders not only in its role of a funding entity, but also to help
them improve their managerial and administrative structures. The reliance on the allocation
of money as the sole instrument for achieving the public policy goals is not a long-term
solution. Government must also reward good practices in those sport organizations that
show organizational effectiveness and innovation. As noted by Schwellnus (2010),
140 G. Bravo and J. Silva

enhancing human capital formation in Chile represents one of the main challenges to
achieving improved economic growth in the country. Perhaps this reality that is observed
in the macroperspective is also true in the context of Chilean sport.

Notes
1. In this analysis, sport success refers to medals achieved at the Olympic Games or world titles in
high-performance and/or professional sports.
2. The Ministry General Secretariat of Government was established in 1990. It is a cabinet-level
administrative office equivalent to the President Chief of Staff.
3. During the administration of Salvador Allende (1970–1973), the emphasis was given to provide
opportunities for children and low income people to get involved in sports. One of the most
successful initiatives involved a national plan on swimming with more than 50,000 participants. In
addition, an attempt to decentralize DIGEDER’s action took place through the creation of
CINDERs, a municipal unit that worked at the grassroots level and acted in coordination with
DIGEDER. During Augusto Pinochet’s administration (1973–1990), two of the most tangible
legacies were: (a) investment in new sport infrastructure and (b) the establishment of the sport
lottery as a mechanism to provide funds for sport organizations. The growth in infrastructure was
possible through the allocation of resources from the sport lottery, as more than 40% of the
revenues went to fund sport facilities. As a result, during this time there was a growth of more than
300% in the number of sport facilities (Muñoz 2001). Patricio Aylwin’s administration (1990–
1994) focused on providing opportunities to restore civic and humanistic values through sport
participation. Several initiatives targeted women as the main beneficiaries of these programmes,
which included fitness, aerobics and recreational activities. In addition, a plan to decentralize the
administration to make DIGEDER’s action more effective was also a priority. Other
accomplishments included a plan of National Coaching Education and Sport Management
(ENADYR), the creation of the TOP programme that provides support to high-performance
athletes, and the allocation of ten million dollars through a loan from the government of Spain
that was fully allocated to build new sport facilities around the country (Navarro 1994).
4. In the Spanish language, these categories of sport are referred to as: Formación para el Deporte
(Sporting Education), Deporte Recreativo (Recreational Sport), Deporte Competitivo
(Competitive Sport) and Deporte de Alto Rendimiento y Proyección Internacional (High
Performance Sport with International Focus). The law does not mention professional sport.
5. Article 3 of Law 19712 states: ‘the respect for the autonomy of the sport organizations and the
freedom of association based on the principles of decentralization and subsidiary role of the State’
(Ley del Deporte 2001, p. 6).
6. A commodatum is defined as ‘gratuitous loan of property to be used and returned by the borrower’
(Commodatum 1996).
7. According to a FIFA survey on global football, there are 2.6 million footballers in Chile (FIFA
2006). A 2008 national survey on habits of physical activity and sport showed that 8.4% of the
population, 18 years and older, indicated football as the preferred sporting activity (IND 2010).
The total population in Chile in 2012 was estimated at 17,402,630 people (INE 2012).
8. ADO Chile stands for: Asociación de Deportistas Olímpicos (Association of Olympic Athletes), a
private non-for profit corporation that supports the development of a high-performance sport. This
organization mirrors the ADO programme established in Spain in 1988.
9. In 2011, Chile ranked sixth among ten South American countries in terms of total budget allocated
to high-performance sports. The Brazilian government allocated USD 630 million to the high-
performance sports, Venezuela USD 80 million, Ecuador USD 72 million, Argentina USD 65
million and Colombia USD 50 million (IND 2012).

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