To use names such as “San Marino”, “Serenissima”, “Titano” and “RSM” in sport, prior authorization from the National Olympic Committee of San Marino (CONS) will now be required. The Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) has approved a decree regulating the use of names linked to the Republic’s identity, introducing checks and administrative fines ranging from €2,000 to €10,000 for those who fail to comply.
The requirement applies to associations, clubs and sports federations that fall within the scope of the new regulation. Existing entities will have 90 days to submit their application for authorization to the National Olympic Committee of San Marino.
Authorization may be denied or revoked after being granted. The deciding factor concerns the consequences of using the name: “Authorization may be denied or subsequently revoked where the use of the name is found to be genuinely liable to harm the prestige, image, reputation or interests of the Republic,” explains the Secretariat of State for Sport in its statement.
CONS will be responsible both for evaluating requests and for carrying out subsequent checks, to verify that the conditions required for the use of the name remain in place, in line with the procedural safeguards set out in the decree.
The rationale behind the measure lies in the connection these names create between individual organizations and the country. The decree, the statement notes, introduces “a structured system for assessing and monitoring the use of names which, by their very nature, create an immediate link between the sporting entity using them and the Republic of San Marino.”
Commenting on the approval, Secretary of State for Sport Rossano Fabbri said: “The approval of this decree marks an important step in protecting the image and credibility of San Marino sport. The name of San Marino is an asset of the Republic, and its use in a sporting context inevitably creates a link with our country, both domestically and in national and international settings.
With this regulation, we are introducing clear tools that allow us to assess such use in advance and, where necessary, to verify over time that the conditions for its use remain valid. The goal is to ensure that the Republic’s identifying names are used in a manner consistent with San Marino’s prestige, image and interests.”
The Secretariat places this ratification within the broader process of reviewing sports legislation, alongside last year’s law against gender-based violence and abuse of minors, as well as recent measures on incentives for major events and the redevelopment of public buildings. The Secretariat has also announced that the bill on the “Regulation of Sporting Activity” will soon undergo its first reading.
