LISBON, April 23 -- Portugal's Council of Ministers on Thursday approved a set of exceptional and temporary measures to support and protect the country's sports sector against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decisions were a response to the postponements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that had been scheduled for this year in Japan.

The objective is to guarantee the "normal functioning" of sports organizations and professional club leagues.

The initiative also aims to protect coaches, directors, physical teachers, athletes and referees.

Among the approved measures is the extension of the "public utility" status of sports federations until December 31, 2021, with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games having been postponed until that year.

The mandates of the members of the sports federations, professional leagues or club associations would also be extended until 2021.

Changes to the regulations were also allowed for federations to adopt measures to respond to the public health emergency.

The government also guaranteed that "distance" training will be equivalent to face-to-face training for coaches, directors and physical exercise technicians.

Finally, the need to renew enrolment in the register of high-performance sports agents and medical-sports examinations was suspended.

Portugal extended its state of emergency until May 2, and negotiations are already underway to make the return to sports activities more flexible starting next month.

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