Participation in competitions not possible for students studying abroad

Question for written answer  E-001965/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Herbert Dorfmann (PPE)

The European Union promotes student exchanges and mobility through the Erasmus programme, among other things. Many of these students are active members of sports clubs in their home country and would like to play sport in clubs and take part in competitions in their host country. Participation in competitions in some Member States, including Italy, is dependent on first being registered with the relevant sport’s federation (in Italian: tesseramento). Under Italy’s national regulations, successful registration renders the individual concerned ineligible for participation in other competitions in other countries.

Students are thus prevented by national regulations from being a member of two clubs at the same time and from taking part in competitions. Specifically, participating in an amateur hockey or football competition in two different Member States is not possible.

Is this restriction in the area of sport justified in the case of students, particularly given that the EU is a keen promoter of student mobility?