"To make Portugal an active and healthy nation, where sport is a right for all, an engine of inclusion and excellence, and a distinctive mark of our identity in the world," the Government stated as its vision for the sector in the document.

The Council of Ministers, led by Luís Montenegro, met exceptionally at the Jamor High Performance Center in Oeiras, where it promoted the public presentation of this plan, from a podium with the message 'Active Portugal: Sport for all'.

Childhood obesity

Reducing childhood obesity is the first of seven objectives listed in the National Plan for Development and Improvement (PNDD), followed by reducing sedentary lifestyles, increasing lifelong and nationwide sports participation, strengthening women's participation in sports, ensuring more opportunities for people with disabilities, promoting high-performance sports, and strengthening direct investment in the sector.

To achieve these goals, the Executive Branch defined "six strategic pillars," three of which focus on sports practice in educational contexts, in society and training, and in high-performance sports.

Thus, in schools, according to the PNDD, a training program for Physical Education dedicated to Early Childhood Educators will be created, annual physical fitness assessments will be mandatory, and the UAARE program will be extended to Higher Education.

In society, counselling on physical activity will be provided in Family Health Units (USF), and support for sports clubs and associations with projects for the inclusion of women and people with disabilities will be increased.

The third pillar focuses on sports practice and is dedicated to youth development and high-performance sports, with the creation of a certification and training program for clubs, as well as strengthening scholarships for Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic hopefuls.

The remaining measures, from the other three "pillars," target sports facilities, policies and governance of the sector, and its financing.

Among the highlighted measures are the requalification of High-Performance Centers, with the Jamor center as the leading one, and other sports facilities, as well as equipping the Innovation, Research and Development Center for the Paralympic Committee of Portugal.

The Government also plans to update the Basic Law on Physical Activity and Sport and review the structuring legislation, as well as the sector's financing model, increase funding for Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic preparation programs, and review the statute of tax benefits for sports sponsorship.

National Dietetic Plan

The implementation of the National Dietetic Plan (PNDD), until 2036, will be overseen by an interministerial commission and a technical commission, which will have a maximum of five members, including the president of the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ).

Among the objectives are 17 performance indicators, with targets already defined for 2028, such as the reduction of childhood overweight, from the current 31.9% to 27.9% in 2028 and to 19% in 2036, and childhood obesity, from 13.5% to 11.2% in three years and 6.5% at the end of the plan.