The recreational programme offers 8,036 places, 24 sports, and 549 introductory courses. This year, agility, falconry, and korrikan are being added. There will also be mountain outings based on mythological tales that combine physical exercise, environmental awareness, and Basque mythology.

The new season of Bizkaiko Eskola Kirola is committed to school sport that is more accessible, diverse, and safe. Its main new features are a broader sports offering, more adapted sports activities, better training for technical staff, and new measures to protect children and teens.

The Deputy for Basque Language, Culture, and Sport, Leixuri Arrizabalaga, presented this morning the new features of Eskola Kirola for the 2026-2027 season. Also participating in the press conference were Borja Sarrionandia-Ibarra, technical head of school sports for the Bizkaia Provincial Council, and Carlos Alonso, a representative from the Association of Sports Federations of Bizkaia (ASFEDEBI).

According to Arrizabalaga, “we continue working to offer children more opportunities to learn about different disciplines and discover their true passions; but, above all, to enjoy sports and appreciate the benefits that physical activity brings.”

During the 2026–2027 season, there will be 62 competitive sports activities, from the benjamín (ages 8–10) to cadete (ages 14–15) categories. This season sees the introduction of two new competitions: sokatira (tug of war) for the infantil (ages 12–13) and cadete (ages 14–15) categories, and 11-a-side football for the boys’ infantil category.

One of the main new features is the digital licence. Technical staff will be able to make queries through the Eskola Kirola app. This will make it easier to check which adults are part of the technical teams and access up-to-date information.

The recreational programme offers 8,036 places, 24 sports, and 549 introductory courses. This year, agility, falconry, and korrikan are being added. There will also be mountain outings based on mythological tales that combine physical exercise, environmental awareness, and Basque mythology.

Adapted sport will have a greater presence this season. There will be new activities in handball, hockey, swimming, multikirola (multi-sport activities), athletics, and herri kirolak (Basque rural sports), among others. The aim is to offer more options so that everyone can participate.

In terms of introductory activities, the Provincial Council will run the Heziki programme for the fourteenth consecutive year, aimed at pupils in the first and second years of primary education. Through this programme, the goal is to promote the development of children’s motor skills, enabling them to manage their actions autonomously and, consequently, to perform any motor task proposed to them while learning the sports they may wish to practise in the future. All of this takes place in an environment in which the activities are enjoyed, thereby encouraging their interest in practising sport and engaging in physical activity.

The Bizkaia Provincial Council is allocating €2,700,000 to the programme, which reaches around 46,000 children across the region.

Adaptation to the Basque Law on Sports Professions

The Basque Law on Sports Professions improves the quality and safety of school sport. The legislation requires those responsible for leading, coordinating, and teaching to have the necessary training. In this way, it provides greater safeguards for families and minors.

The Plan for Progressive Adaptation to this law began in the 2022-2023 season. Since then, the percentage of coaches with the required qualification (Level I or higher) or the authorisation permitted by the Basque Government has risen from 39% (in 2022) to 94.5% (in the season that ended last May). This progress has been made possible thanks to the efforts of sports organisations and technical staff.

KirolaON

KirolaON is a tool provided by the Bizkaia Provincial Council to protect minors in sport. It was launched two seasons ago and helps prevent, detect, and respond to possible situations of violence.

KirolaON dealt with 145 reports in the 2024–2025 season and 241 in the 2025–2026 season. This represents an increase of approximately 66%. This growth reflects a greater awareness and visibility of the service, a greater trust among families and the broader community, and improved detection and reporting for situations of risk.

Another relevant point is the growing direct use of the service by children and teens, a form of participation that those responsible for the service had found lacking when it was first launched, and which has increased thanks to the awareness campaigns promoted by the Provincial Council. In the 2025–2026 season, this group made 18 reports.

Particular attention to codes of conduct

This season, in addition to reinforcing the Errespetua initiative introduced last year, the Provincial Council will also pay particular attention to codes of conduct. These documents help create safe sporting environments and prevent inappropriate behaviour.

Throughout October, an awareness campaign will be carried out to improve and update these codes of conduct among the clubs and schools taking part.

For codes of conduct to be effective, everyone involved in sporting activities must know and follow them. These documents must be adapted to each group (families, technical staff, children, and teens) with clear guidelines tailored to each situation; shared and signed at the start of the season, taking advantage of the beginning-of-year meetings; accompanied by training to prevent them from being reduced to a mere administrative formality; and linked to the internal disciplinary framework from a preventive and proportionate perspective.

The Bizkaia Provincial Council encourages sports organisations to review and update their codes of conduct. It also asks them to ensure that everyone involved is aware of them and complies with them.