Decree-law shifting pro sports rules to federations

TDT | Manama

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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.

Contracts

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.