Hungary proposes conflict of interest law for sports organizations

Attila Kálnoki-Kiss, the state secretary responsible for sports, has introduced a legislative proposal to the Hungarian Parliament aimed at preventing conflicts of interest within sports organizations. The law seeks to separate sports management from daily political influence to ensure fair play and prevent funding from being determined by political connections.

Under the proposed rules, certain high-ranking state officials—including ministers, state secretaries, members of Parliament, and European Parliament representatives—would be prohibited from holding leadership positions in sports organizations that employ more than 500 athletes. There are currently 174 such organizations in Hungary.

Addressing public perception, Kálnoki-Kiss noted that while some refer to the bill as the ‘Lex Kubatov’ in reference to Gábor Kubatov, the president of Ferencváros and a Fidesz politician, the legislation is intended to address systemic distortions rather than target specific individuals. Once passed, current and former politicians will be required to declare whether they are affected by the new regulations.