SPÖ Cuts Funding for Women

Red “Women’s Champions”: Game, Set, and Defeat

Sports Minister Babler with his State Secretary Schmidt at a soccer match with ÖFB President Pröll(Bild: Mario Urbantschitsch)

The SPÖ has always tried to champion women’s issues, especially around International Women’s Day. Yet, as is well known, the SPÖ does not have a single female state party leader. And it is this same SPÖ that has now, in a sense, cut 300,000 euros in funding for Austria’s largest women’s sports event.

This crucial financial injection for the WTA tennis tournament in Linz was cut, as the “Krone” learned and as confirmed by the State Secretariat led by Michaela Schmidt and reporting to Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler.

“The Upper Austria Ladies Linz received funding from 2023 to 2025 as seed funding to cover the additional costs incurred by the move to a more expensive venue. However, the ministry has repeatedly and explicitly pointed out, both in writing and verbally, that long-term funding is not possible,” the State Secretariat stated in response to an inquiry.

The state had to step in to save the event.(Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL)

The law and applicable guidelines set strict limits on legally compliant funding. Furthermore, the Ministry of Sport cannot permanently compensate for the lack of a main sponsor with taxpayer money and, in times of budget constraints, must focus on a few events (such as home European Championships and World Championships) organized by sports federations. Long-term subsidies for commercial events with prize money in the millions—whether in men’s or women’s sports—are also “not sensible.”

The fact that the tournament can still resume in Linz starting April 5 is likely thanks to the support of the state of Upper Austria, which is helping out—though it won’t be able to finance the event on its own in the future either. A joint event strategy between the state and the federal government is being called for.

Insiders even call it a “mess”
Without federal support, it will otherwise no longer be possible in the future to bring certain sporting events to Austria or Upper Austria, or to keep them here. “The municipalities, cities, and states alone cannot shoulder this burden,” emphasizes Upper Austria’s State Councilor Achleitner.

The cuts have, of course, already hit the industry hard—with insiders calling it a political “mess.”