The government is preparing groundbreaking regulations that can change the Polish strategy of benefits forever. Already in 2025, children of dead athletes will be able to inherit their Olympic retirement, which amounts to nearly PLN 5 1000 a period and is exempt from tax. This is the first specified situation in the past of Poland, where the pension can be passed on to children. The initiative is simply a direct consequence to the tragic past of the Polish Paralympic whose death revealed a gap in the law.
The draft amendment of the Sports Act, prepared by the Ministry of athletics and Tourism, assumes that children of Olympic, Paralympic and Deaf Games medalists will be entitled to benefit after the death of their parent. Although the change concerns a narrow group, it represents an unprecedented step towards financial safety for families of prominent Polish representatives. The fresh government is due to come into force next year and the government is due to take up the task in the coming months.
A tragedy that has become an impulse to change
The direct inspiration for the government was the moving communicative of Michał Dąbrowski, the double medalist of the 17th summertime Paralympic Games in Paris 2024 in a fencing cart. The athlete died last November, orphaning 2 tiny children aged 3 and 9. As the portal rp.pl stated, after his death the household immediately lost the right to an Olympic pension, which was almost PLN 5000 per period and was a key origin of maintenance.
This situation has attracted the attention of the public and politicians. Minister of athletics Sławomir Nitras, after gathering with the widow of the medalist, Barbara Dąbrowska, announced urgent work on amending regulations in January. According to the justification for the project, quoted by Biznes.wprost.pl, the past of the Paralympics "showed a deficiency of systemic solutions in the case of the premature death of people who achieved large sports success". The tragedy of the Dąbrowski household became a catalyst for the creation of a mechanics to defend another families in a akin situation.
Who precisely will benefit from the fresh regulations?
The fresh law will not apply to all. The anticipation of inheriting the benefit will be limited to a very narrow and precisely defined group. As Money.pl explains, changes will include only children of Olympic, Paralympic and Deaf Games medalistswho have received an Olympic pension for their achievements.
Sportsmen who have won at least 1 medal at 1 of these events have the right to this peculiar benefit. Currently, according to the data cited by Biznes.wprost.pl, this benefit collects nearly 600 people. Since 1 January 2025, its amount is PLN 4967.95 gross per month. Keyly, this amount is completely exempt from income taxation and social and wellness insurance contributions, which means that the full amount goes to the beneficiary.
The task assumes that the right to inherit will be granted to both their own children and athletes who, at the time of their death, received or fulfilled the conditions to receive the benefit. This is simply a fundamental change, due to the fact that so far the Olympic pension has been a individual benefit that expired with the death of an athlete.
Conditions and restrictions. Until erstwhile will the children receive money?
The bill's draft amendment specifies how children can receive money from their deceased parents. According to rp.pl portal, the benefit will be granted to children until 16 years old by them. This period may be extended if the kid continues to survey at school.
In case of continuation of education, the benefit will be paid no longer than to be achieved 25 years old. However, the legislator provided for an exception: if the kid is in the last year of higher education at the time of the age of 25, the right to benefit will be extended until the end of this academic year. As Polsatnews.pl points out, the detailed conditions which children will gotta fulfil to take over the benefit will be clarified in the course of further legislative work.
It is besides worth remembering that the Olympic pension does not combine with another pension benefits. This means that a individual entitled to more than 1 benefit (e.g. a standard pension from the Social Insurance Institution) must choose one.
Work agenda and budgetary implications
The work on the fresh rules is already at an advanced stage. According to the government's list of legislative work, ministers were to take the task in the second 4th of 2024, and its entry into force is planned for 2nd 4th of 2025. erstwhile approved by the Council of Ministers, the task will go to the Sejm, where it will pass the next legislative path.
The introduction of the anticipation of inheriting the Olympic pension will entail additional costs for the state budget, although due to the narrow group of eligible, they should not be significant. However, the Ministry of athletics and Tourism stresses the social importance of this change. In the justification of the project, as quoted by PortalSamorzadowy.pl, we read: "It seems appropriate to introduce further protection in the form of financial safety for specified children who have lost their parent-sportsman due to death".
This amendment is simply a historical minute for the Polish insurance system. Although it concerns a tiny number of people, it creates a precedent that can open up a discussion in the future on the succession of another benefits as well.
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The government is preparing a revolution in 2025. Children will receive almost PLN 5000 of parental pension
