Cyprus has set out the detailed terms of its €400,000-a-year drive to bring foreign sports teams to the island for training, with additional financial incentives for winter camps, priority sports and stays in mountain and rural areas. 

The four-year scheme, running from 2026 to 2029, forms part of a wider package of tourism incentives approved by the cabinet last week. 

Under the revised programme, foreign teams and athletes will receive a financial incentive calculated according to where and when they train, rather than reimbursement for specific eligible expenses, as was the case under the previous scheme which ran until 2025. 

The change means teams, sports associations and travel organisers will be able to determine in advance the financial benefit of choosing Cyprus for a training camp. 

The size of the incentive will be based on tourism-benefit zones, with additional criteria covering the period of travel, location, strategic-priority sports and the participation of athletes with disabilities. 

Minimum incentive amounts under the scheme range from €75 to €4,000, depending on the applicable criteria. 

Further financial support will be available to teams training during December, January and February, in an effort to bring more sports visitors to Cyprus during the quieter winter months. 

Additional incentives will also apply to teams staying and training in mountain, rural, border and remote areas, as the Tourism Ministry seeks to spread visitor spending beyond the main coastal resorts. 

Seven sports have been designated as strategic priorities, football, cycling, athletics, swimming, triathlon, shooting and water sports, while additional support will also be available for groups comprising athletes with disabilities. 

The scheme is part of efforts to strengthen sports and training tourism, which has been identified as a priority under Cyprus’ Tourism Strategy 2035. 

Its four-year lifespan is also intended to give teams, federations and tour operators greater certainty when planning future training camps on the island. 

The programme will operate throughout the year in Nicosia and designated priority areas, including mountain, rural, border and remote communities. 

For coastal areas, however, teams will qualify only for training stays taking place between November and April, reinforcing the scheme’s focus on extending tourism activity beyond the summer season. 

Eligible applicants include foreign sports teams, clubs, federations, referees’ associations, sports academies and athletes affiliated with overseas federations who travel to Cyprus for training or competitive preparation, regardless of their country of origin or sporting category. 

Foreign tour operators and companies bringing sports teams to Cyprus may also apply, alongside licensed Cypriot tourism and travel agencies and companies handling teams and athletes arriving from abroad. 

Individual athletes applying under the programme will be required to provide confirmation from their federation. 

Not every sporting visit will qualify, however. 

Teams, including national sides, clubs and associations travelling to Cyprus as guests of Cypriot sports federations, teams or clubs are excluded from the scheme. 

The incentive will also not be available to teams coming to Cyprus to take part in competitions, tournaments or other competitive obligations, with the programme focused specifically on training and preparation. 

Athletes must arrive through the Republic of Cyprus’ legal points of entry and stay in areas under the effective control of the Republic. 

Beneficiaries may also be asked to provide the Tourism Ministry with high-resolution photographic and audiovisual material from their stay, which may then be used to promote Cyprus as a sports-training destination. 

Failure to comply with the scheme’s conditions can result in the loss of the financial incentive. 

The €400,000 budget applies to 2026, while the scheme will remain in force until December 2029 following its publication in the Official Gazette. 

It operates under EU rules governing de minimis state aid, with applications submitted electronically in PDF format using the relevant Tourism Ministry forms. 

The sports initiative sits alongside other schemes aimed at developing specialised forms of tourism, including a revised programme to attract conferences, corporate meetings and incentive travel. Together, the measures form part of the government’s effort to reduce Cyprus’ dependence on the traditional summer season and attract more visitors during periods when hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses have greater spare capacity.