Under the planned rules, ministers, state secretaries, MPs, MEPs, party leaders, government commissioners, ministerial commissioners, deputy state secretaries and leaders of state-owned companies would be prohibited from holding leadership positions in sports organisations with more than 500 athletes.

The restrictions would remain in place for four years after leaving public office, preventing former politicians from moving directly into leadership roles in major sports organisations.

Those already holding sports leadership positions would have 30 days to declare any conflicts of interest.

A separate provision would impose a four-year ban on sports leadership positions for people found responsible for serious financial irregularities at a sports club or federation.

Magyar said Hungarian sport had increasingly become subject to political influence, with sports associations and federations treated as political strongholds under the previous government.

He noted that former office holders Szilard Nemeth, Janos Lazar, Lajos Kosa, Lajos Szucs and Zsolt Semjen had already resigned from their sports leadership positions. Peter Szijjarto, Gabor Kubatov and Tamas Deutsch, however, remained in leadership positions at sports clubs.

Taken together, the proposed measures would change who is eligible to lead Hungary’s larger sports organisations, increase scrutiny of existing office holders and create longer-term consequences for serious financial misconduct. The changes would therefore affect both the composition of sports leadership and the relationship between political office and the management of Hungarian sport.

Meanwhile, Interior ministry files five further police complaints over National Sports Agency

The interior ministry has filed another five complaints with the police, all in connection with activities of the National Sports Agency (NSU), Interior Minister Gabor Posfai said in a Facebook video.

"The reviews conducted over the past months have hit another milestone: complaints were filed in five cases where, according to the Hungarian government, the state has been put at disadvantage or especially great financial harm to public funds has been directly caused," Posfai said.

All five cases are connected to the NSU, its properties and moveable assets, he added.

Posfai said allegations include unjustified advantages in asset utilisation tenders and lease agreements without competitive bidding.

The investigations uncovered leases far below market rates or previous estimates, manipulation of tender rules, deliberate avoidance of mandatory public procurement procedures, indefinite free use of state-owned real estate and moveable property, and significantly overpriced acquisitions of equipment, he said.

The ongoing review is far from over, he added, and will continue to examine questionable decisions and contracts.

Posfai dismissed NSU head Peter Biro from his position on Sept 7, and appointed an interim leader to the agency.

According to its website, the agency’s main responsibilities include maintaining and operating domestic Olympic centres, strategic sports facilities, multifunctional halls and swimming pools built under the National Educational Infrastructure Development Programme.

Photo: Peter Szijjarto's Facebook page

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