Head of CCIT at the National Conference: Sport and its impact on the development of the economy

The President of the Tirana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Nikolin Jaka, was invited to the National Sports Conference, as a member of the High Sports Council.

In his speech, Mr. Jaka expressed the appreciation of the Chamber of Commerce towards the Albanian government, for the spirit and approach created by legal and by-laws in support of physical and sports education.

“A special appreciation goes to the minister Mrs. Kushi and her staff, as this is the Minister who, with the principle of inclusiveness, has enabled a climate of cooperation for all the actors and factors of this vital sector. The High Sports Council is a structure created by the Ministry of Education and Sports, to help the policy-making in the design of appropriate strategies for the physical education and sports sector.”

Speaking about the impact of sports on the development of the economy, Mr. Jaka emphasized the need that our country has to increase the percentage of participation of Albanian citizens in sports education, as an important branch of the economy.

“Albania needs to increase the percentage of participation of Albanian citizens in physical and sports education. 1 lek invested in sports is equal to 3 lek invested in health. The more sporty a society is, the healthier it is, the more it performs in knowledge, culture, efficiency and productivity.”

Like other sectors of the economy, investments in physical culture and sports have a multiplier effect, as it involves significant financial resources and a large number of labor force. In his speech, the head of CCIT also mentioned the law on sponsorships, which he considered insufficient in the objective for the development and operation of all types of sports in a structured system.

“We must have a real awareness campaign to educate first the public administration, and then the citizen, that the entrepreneur should be stimulated, not prejudiced; it should be supported, not penalized. We have a law on sponsorship, which we think is good, but we still do not compete with the countries of the region. We need to awaken passion and sportsmanship in entrepreneurship. We should not stop at sponsorship. We must turn sport into an economy. Let’s take the case of the “Air Albania” stadium, which was prejudiced and accused.

What happens today? Today it happens that in the center of Tirana we have a stadium that is the emblem of the Albanian nation, and that has a multidimensional activity. It is not the construction of a traditional stadium, but it provides business services that serve the economy. It exceeds the number of 500-1000 employees, which no one could imagine the generation from this investment. As many sports structures as possible should be made to help physical education, economic structures and economic service. Entrepreneurship has turned its head from sports because it is the only way to feel not only healthy, but also cured in the right way. Art, culture and sport clothe a nation with the mantle of citizenship.”