Joint Circular No. 913-TT/LB guiding the temporary implementation of Prime Minister's Directive No. 18-TTg/VG dated February 18, 1965 on rank allowances for athletes in physical education and sports.

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines for the temporary implementation of Directive No. 18-TTg/VG dated February 18, 1965 of the Prime Minister on allowances for athletes based on their rank in physical education and sports 

Implementing Directive No. 18-TTg/VG dated February 18, 1965 of the Prime Minister regarding the monthly allowance for professional and amateur athletes who have achieved the title of National Champion or First-Class Athlete, after exchanging and reaching a consensus with the Ministry of Labor, the Sports Committee, and the Ministry of Finance, the following guidelines are provided for implementation:

I. OBJECTS AND TIME PERIOD FOR RECEIVING ALLOWANCES

1. The monthly allowance for athletes in physical education and sports is a reward allowance according to the rank of the athlete, aimed at compensating for the labor consumption during training (especially high-intensity training), while encouraging athletes to strive to improve their physical strength and technical skills to meet the demands of both domestic and international political tasks. Under current conditions, the State must concentrate capital on solving other urgent tasks, so initially this allowance will only be applied to professional and amateur athletes who have achieved the titles of National Champion and First-Class Athlete, as defined in the ranking regulations issued with Decision No. 109-CP dated September 29, 1962 of the Council of Ministers, and officially recognized by the Sports Committee.

2. During the two-year period of receiving the allowance mentioned above, athletes must work hard to maintain their physical condition, continuously improve their performance, and every year from the date of official recognition, the Examination Board and the Athlete Rank Review Committee, together with local Physical Education and Sports Committees, have the responsibility to organize inspections and assessments of professional standards to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of athletes, and supplement the training program and specific goals. If, after the two-year validity period, an athlete fails to maintain their performance at the recognized rank, then:

- For National Champions, they will retain the title and honor;

- As for First-Class Athletes, their title will be reassessed based on their performance review, according to the regulations on athlete rankings.

However, both categories will cease to receive the allowance.

In special cases, due to certain obstacles, if the inspection and assessment cannot be organized within the validity period, it must be approved by the Sports Committee, but not later than two months.

3. During the period of receiving the rank allowance, if an athlete commits a mistake and has their title revoked as stipulated in Articles 16 and 17 of the athlete ranking regulations, they will cease to receive the rank allowance from the date of the disciplinary decision.

II. MONTHLY ALLOWANCE AMOUNTS APPLICABLE TO EACH CATEGORY

Based on the volume of movement, training conditions, and nature and duration of activities of professional and amateur athletes, this allowance is divided into two types, each with two levels as follows:

1. Allowance for professional athletes.

Professional athletes concentrated at the Central Technical Training School for Physical Education and Sports, Shooting Club, Aviation Club directly managed by the Sports Committee, and those from provinces, cities, sectors, and the military, gathered by these agencies for long-term professional training, will receive the monthly allowance according to the following ranks:

- National Champions receive 8 dong per month

- First-Class Athletes receive 4 dong per month

2. Allowance for amateur athletes

Workers and officials working in state agencies, enterprises, schools, forest farms, etc., members of cooperatives, or self-employed individuals, who also train and achieve the standards specified in the athlete ranking regulations, will receive the monthly rank allowance as follows:

- National Champions receive 18 dong per month

- First-Class Athletes receive 10 dong per month

III. PROCEDURES FOR ISSUING, MANAGING, AND USING THE RANK ALLOWANCE

1. Based on the number of athletes officially recognized as National Champions and First-Class Athletes (both professional and amateur) under their management, sports organizations at each level will prepare annual budgets for the allowance as follows:

- The Office of the Sports Committee is responsible for preparing the budget to pay the rank allowance to National Champions and First-Class Athletes of units under the Committee and National Champions and First-Class Athletes of the entire railway sector and the military (excluding athletes of provincial or city teams managed by local Sports Committees) and send it to the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Finance will allocate the monthly budget limit to the Office of the Sports Committee, which will directly distribute the allowance to athletes at the grassroots level. This expenditure is covered by the central budget.

- Local Sports Committees are responsible for preparing the budget to pay the rank allowance to National Champions and First-Class Athletes of local agencies, including provincial or city teams, and National Champions and First-Class Athletes of central agencies located in their areas, and send it to the Department or Bureau of Finance. The Department or Bureau of Finance will allocate the monthly budget limit to the Local Sports Committee, which will directly distribute the allowance to athletes at the grassroots level. This expenditure is covered by the local budget.

The aforementioned allowance will be accounted for as follows:

- The allowance for rank of professional athletes concentrated shall be recorded under the allowance section of salary.

- The allowance for rank of amateur athletes shall be recorded under item 14 (expenses on sports activities).

2. To ensure the effective use of the aforementioned allowances and to directly benefit the athletes, the Sports Committees at all localities shall coordinate with the units where the athletes work to guide the use of these allowances for purchasing additional foodstuffs in accordance with the spirit and guidance of the Circulars of the Ministry of Commerce and the General Food Administration, while organizing supplementary training for those who are in good health to consistently perform well.

Above are the guidelines issued by the Joint Board regarding some points in implementing the allowance system for rank for sports athletes; the Sports Committees and the Departments of Finance need to closely cooperate and implement this Circular effectively according to a plan. In case of any difficulties during implementation, they should report to the Joint Board for study and resolution.