• 67 sports associations
• 2048 sports clubs
• 19 regional sports unions

Sport Legislation

The Sport Law was passed in the Estonian Parliament, Riigikogu, in April 2005 and came into force on January 2006. The previous Sport Law was adopted in 1998. The Sport Law regulates the following issues: the organisational and legal basics of sport, the rights and obligations of athletes and coaches, the applying for government-financed support for Olympic champions, the financing of sports, and the requirements for organising sports competitions and other events and the corresponding responsibilities. According to the Sport Law, sport is organised and promoted on different levels by the state, local government units and sports organisations. The aim of the respective activities is physical and mental fitness of the nation, the promotion of a sportive lifestyle and sports-related self-realization of the young.

Within the government, sport is administered by the Ministry of Culture where there is the Department of Sport. Its main task is to coordinate the creation of conditions for sports development and government sports policy. Furthermore the Ministry divides governmental support between sports organisations, projects and facilities. The tasks of the Ministry in the public organisation of sports are outlined in the Sports Act and in the Statute of the Ministry in detail.

Non-governmental organisation

The Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) is the umbrella organisation which joins the sports associations, sports unions, regional sports unions in counties and, on conditions fixed in the Olympic Charter, also individuals. The task of the Estonian Olympic Committee is to organise joint activities, develop and promote sports and the Olympic movement in Estonia. The Estonian Paralympic Committee  joins five sports organisations for disabled people.

The 67 sports associations join the 2048 sports clubs all over the state. The 12 sports unions operate in specific areas, e.g. recreational sports, school sports, student sports, sports for persons with special needs, company sports, veteran sports, etc. In counties there are 19 regional sports unions. The most popular sports as to the number of people practising it and registered in the relevant clubs and associations are football, hunting sport, and basketball.  

Sport financing

Sports are financed from the state budget through the Ministries and Estonian Cultural Endowment of Estonia and from gambling tax, but also from the budgets of local governments, donations and the financial resources derived from the statutory activities of sports organizations.