The Armed Forces and elite sport - a good match!

The Swiss Armed Forces have been supporting the funding of elite sports in Switzerland for over 20 years. With a total of four different funding vehicles, the Armed Forces create optimal conditions for strengthening competitive sports in Switzerland and thus enabling important international successes.

1/13/2025

The concept of promoting top-class sport aims to optimally combine top-class sport with full military service. In order to get the most out of these support measures, we work closely with the associations and Swiss Olympic. All of the Army's support opportunities are equally open to women and men. At the same time, the support of the Army presupposes proper military conduct and 100% commitment to the Army.

The four support vessels of the Swiss armed forces:

1. Top-level sport at the military recruit school
Recruit school and elite sports may sound a bit strange at first. But it is a successful concept. The elite sports recruit school lasts 18 weeks and is held in Magglingen. During this time, the recruits complete the general basic training (GBT) during the first two weeks, with training content including military manners, medical service and driver training. There is always enough time for individual training. After that, recruits are supported with various training blocks in the area of career management. Among other things, topics such as career planning, media training, sponsoring and mental training are discussed, along with input on doping, nutrition and regeneration. After that, the main focus of the RS is on improving performance. They use the remaining time for training and optimal regeneration.

2. Refresher courses (WK)
Refresher courses lasting several weeks are offered annually to athletes after the top-level sports RS has been completed. However, WK days can also be used for injury-related rehabilitation. In addition, the WKs take place locally, so they can also be completed abroad (competitions or training camps).
The following applies:
A maximum of 30 chargeable service days per year (incl. pay / EO / insurance) for preparation and competitions organized by the national association.
A maximum of 100 additional voluntary service days per year (incl. pay / EO / insurance) for preparation and competitions organized by the national association.

3. Employment as a temporary military top athlete
The army supports an additional 18 top athletes per Olympic cycle with a 50% temporary military position, which represents an enormous financial relief for them. Athletes who play a dominant international role in their sport can benefit from this employment. The primary goal is therefore for the athlete to achieve a diploma or a podium finish at the Olympic Games.

4. Qualified athlete
All members of the armed forces who are top athletes but do not fully meet the requirements for admission to the top-class sports RS can benefit from special freedoms for their training as «qualified athletes».

You can find all the information about the four funding instruments of the Swiss Armed Forces here.