Parliament to Vote on Decree-Law Shifting Pro Sports Rules to Federations

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A Decree-Law amending Bahrain’s sports professionalism law will go before Parliament on Tuesday, shifting more rule-writing power to national sports federations while keeping a single set of general rules issued by the President of the General Sports Authority.

Decree-Law No. 40 of 2025 amends Law No. 8 of 2021 on sports professionalism. It says federations should have full technical control to draft and issue the rules that govern professional status and contracts in their sport, so long as those rules follow Bahraini law and do not clash with international federation regulations.

Under the text, the President of the General Sports Authority would issue the general rules for the professionalism system and for professional athletes’ contracts, including the ground rules for professional contracts and the legal relationships that come with them. The stated aim is to keep contracts in line with relevant laws and in step with international rules.

Each federation would then issue its own detailed rules for professionalism and contracts. These would cover the technical matters, including the terms of professional status, the sports covered, the form of professionalism applied, and the rules on contract terms, transfer timing and related financial rights, within the general rules issued by the Authority’s President.

The Legislation and Legal Opinion Commission said the decree-law was issued on an urgent basis, warning that Bahrain could face action by global sports bodies, including the risk of suspension from international events, if federations’ technical independence is not properly anchored in domestic law. It also cited delays under the current system, where detailed rules have depended on prior approvals, and said this has left clubs, players and federations facing uncertainty.

The Commission also pointed to the shift in how the sector is run after Decree No. 61 of 2021 established the General Sports Authority. It said applying the current law has shown a mismatch between the legal text and the way responsibilities now sit, leaving a gap that has affected day-to-day sports administration and the Authority’s ability to carry out its duties.

The General Sports Authority backed the decree-law, saying it would give federations full technical control over their rules while keeping a single national reference point through the general rules issued by the Authority. It said the changes would also help by spelling out how professional contracts and transfers are organised, with the aim of reducing disputes and giving clubs, players and federations a clearer legal base.

The decree-law also updates key definitions in the 2021 law, replacing references to ‘the Minister’ and ‘the Ministry’ with ‘the President’ and ‘the Authority’, and substituting ‘the Authority’ for ‘the Ministry’ in the definition of the contracting entity.

Parliament’s Services Committee has recommended approval by a majority of members present.