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.

In Portugal, 371 more cases of COVID-19 were registered in the last 24 hours, increasing the country's total number of confirmed cases to 22,353.

There were another 35 deaths, totaling 820, with an overall mortality rate of 3.7 percent. For people over 70 years of age, the fatality rate is 13.3 percent.

【体坛英语资讯：Portugal launches measures to maintain sports】相关文章：

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Britney Spears not to be charged for hit-run accident

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Britney Spears told to pay most of K-Feds fees

★ 体坛英语资讯：Table tennis queen seeks last Olympic ticket

★ 体坛英语资讯：Bayi loses do-or-die Game 4 to exit CBA play-offs

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Britney Spears wins more time with sons

★ 体坛英语资讯：Hosts China struggle into quarter-finals

★ 娱乐资讯：Spears says umbrella attack was acting, not anger

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Kate Bosworth is the new face for Calvin Klein Jeans

★ 体坛英语资讯：FIFA lifts Iraq ban

★ 体坛英语资讯：Bayern seal 21st Bundesliga title