Sports initiatives across the Maldives have widened significantly since the ratification of the revised Sports Act on 19 May 2025, Minister for Sports. Ftiness and Recreation Abdulla Rafiu has said.
Speaking at the Maldives Sports Awards 2025, Rafiu described the amendments to the legislation as one of the most consequential reforms undertaken by the current administration, saying they had laid the foundation for a more structured and inclusive national sports system.
The minister said the updated law was designed to ensure that opportunities in sport are not determined by geography. “Sport is not a privilege defined by where a person is born,” he said. “It is a right for anyone who wishes to pursue it.”
Under the revised framework, he added, athletes across the nation now have access to clearer pathways for development through what he described as an organised and planned mechanism for progression.
Minister Rafiu said the government has a responsibility to identify and support talented athletes, noting that the Maldives has a number of competitors capable of performing at the highest level. He pledged that systems introduced under the new Act would guarantee access to opportunities for all citizens.
Among the measures implemented since the law was amended are the introduction of health insurance for national athletes and sports officials, and the establishment of an independent National Anti-Doping Agency.
The government has also accelerated infrastructure development. In this regard, 33 sports projects were completed last year, alongside 59 projects that had remained unfinished under the previous administration. A further 879 projects are currently under way at various stages across the country.